André Brink (1935–2015)
Author of A Dry White Season
About the Author
André Brink was born on May 29, 1935 in Vrede, South Africa. He studied English and Afrikaans at the University in Potchefstroom and comparative literature in Paris. He was a South African writer and educator. He became a part of a group of writers known as Die Sestigers upon returning to South show more Africa in the 1960s. The group aimed to broaden Afrikaner fiction by writing about sexual and moral matters and the failings of the traditional political system. His books included Rumors of Rain, Looking on Darkness, A Dry White Season, and States of Emergency. Some of his books were banned in South Africa. He became a professor of Afrikaans and Dutch literature at Rhodes University and professor of English at the University of Cape Town. He has received the 1980 Martin Luther King Prize, the 1980 French Prix Medicis Etranger, and the 1982 Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur. He was shortlisted for the Booker Prize twice and nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature on several occasions. He died on February 6, 2015 at the age of 79. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: André Brink at The International Forum on the Novel, Lyon, France. Photo by Seamus Kearney / Wikimedia Commons.
Series
Works by André Brink
Donkermaan 3 copies
Die Muur Van Die Pes 3 copies
Pot-Pourri 3 copies
Midi 2 copies
Inteendeel 2 copies
Fado 2 copies
De Scherpe Randen van het Mozaïek 2 copies
Die Poësie van Breyten Breytenbach 2 copies
Olé: Reisboek oor Spanje 2 copies
Destabilizing Shakespeare 1 copy
Aspekte van die Nuwe Prosa 1 copy
Brink Andrè 1 copy
A Chain Of Voices 1 copy
Το δικαίωμα του πόθου 1 copy
Houd-den-bek 1 copy
Associated Works
Windroos: Verhale deur 10 Sestigers — Contributor — 2 copies
Over X-jes, de zandloper en de herenbobbel. Een handleiding tot de kunsten voor Maarten Asscher (1998) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Brink, André
- Legal name
- Brink, André Philippus
- Birthdate
- 1935-05-29
- Date of death
- 2015-02-06
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- South Africa
- Birthplace
- Vrede, South Africa
- Place of death
- in flight (Amsterdam to Cape Town)
- Places of residence
- Vrede, South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa
Jagersfontein, South Africa
Brits, South Africa
Douglas, South Africa
Sabie, South Africa (show all 7)
Lydenburg, South Africa - Education
- Potchefstroom University
The Sorbonne, Paris, France
Lydenburg High School - Occupations
- emeritus professor
novelist - Relationships
- Brink, Elsabe (sister)
- Organizations
- University of Cape Town
Sestiger movement - Awards and honors
- Monismanien Prize (1992)
Order of Ikhamanga
South African Literary Award Lifetime Achievement (2006) - Agent
- Liepman Agency
- Short biography
- André Brink, a major South African writer whose work has shaken conscience and culture in Afrikanerdom, contributed significantly to the cause against apartheid. With democracy, he now sees no further need to be overtly political in his writing and feels a new freedom to write whatever he feels like.
Members
Discussions
Philida by André Brink in Booker Prize (August 2012)
Reviews
Writing in a state of seige : essays on politics… by André P. Brink
3.5 stars, rounded up. After a strong opening I found this faded a bit, especially the dialog, which was a touch stilted. The Tessa character always seemed a bit unreal and was a second weakness. The story of life in South Africa around 2000 is incredibly sad but interesting, and the relationship between Ruben, our narrator, and his house-keeper Magrieta solid and quite warm. The central theme is Ruben (in his mid-60's with a dodgy ticker) taking in an attractive lodger and the disruption to his life that falling in love with her precipitates. Tessa leads Ruben to reevaluate his life and look honestly at his less than rosy but largely suppressed past, something he has studiously avoided, plus of course, to lust after her 30 year old youthfulness. Brink was mid-sixties when this was published, just sayin'. The supernatural element was very much magical realism and didn't bug me as it sometimes does, and plays an important role in the tale.
This is my third Brink novel and I'll read more, but go to his top reviewed titles next- I selected this one as I was curious about the title.… (more)
This is my third Brink novel and I'll read more, but go to his top reviewed titles next- I selected this one as I was curious about the title.… (more)
There was a disjointed style to this that took a while to settle in but then it became incredibly gripping. A failed expedition into the interior of later 1700s Cape colony in South Africa turns into a very complicated story of Elizabeth and Adam (Aob) figuring out how they can survive together or apart. It is brutally honest at times about their relationship and their own pasts and also just a terrifying story of survival in a very harsh world. The constantly shifting point of view was extremely effective, sometimes from one sentence to the next and made both the characters an equal part of the story. The ending was left somewhat enigmatic until I went back to read the front chapter again. Then just tragic.… (more)
I found this quite boring to read and at times so confusingly narrated it was hard to tell who was speaking or what was happening.The writing style is very dense and uninspiring.
Who knew that the story about a slave woman accusing her masters son (whose lover she is and who has given her 4 children) of breaking his word and not giving her freedom could be so dull.
((This is set in South Africa btw so as far as I can tell slaves could lodge complaints against their owners.Its all explained a bit badly in the book.
… (more)
Who knew that the story about a slave woman accusing her masters son (whose lover she is and who has given her 4 children) of breaking his word and not giving her freedom could be so dull.
((This is set in South Africa btw so as far as I can tell slaves could lodge complaints against their owners.Its all explained a bit badly in the book.
… (more)
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Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 80
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 4,572
- Popularity
- #5,499
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 110
- ISBNs
- 470
- Languages
- 16
- Favorited
- 15