André Brink facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
André Brink
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Brink in Lyon, 2007
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| Born | André Philippus Brink 29 May 1935 Vrede, South Africa |
| Died | 6 February 2015 (aged 79) On a flight from the Netherlands to South Africa |
| Occupation | Writer |
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André Philippus Brink OIS (born May 29, 1935 – died February 6, 2015) was a famous South African writer. He wrote novels, essays, and poems. He wrote in two languages: Afrikaans and English. He also taught English at the University of Cape Town.
In the 1960s, André Brink was part of a group of writers called Die Sestigers (which means "The Sixty-ers"). This group included Ingrid Jonker, Etienne Leroux, and Breyten Breytenbach. They wanted to show the Afrikaner people new ideas from world literature. They used the Afrikaans language to speak out against the National Party government. This government supported apartheid, which was a system of unfair racial separation. The Sestigers also brought new writing styles, like magic realism, into Afrikaans literature. Brink's early books often spoke against apartheid. His later books explored life in South Africa after apartheid ended in 1994.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
André Brink was born in a town called Vrede in South Africa. He later moved to Lydenburg. In 1952, he finished high school with excellent grades. He was only the second student in the Transvaal region to achieve this.
He studied Afrikaans literature at the Potchefstroom University. His love for literature took him to France from 1959 to 1961. There, he earned a degree in comparative literature from Sorbonne University in Paris.
Challenging Apartheid
While in France, Brink noticed something important. Black students were treated equally with other students. This was very different from what he saw in South Africa. When he returned home, he became a leading young Afrikaans writer. Along with Etienne Leroux and Breyten Breytenbach, he used his writing to challenge the apartheid policy.
During another trip to France between 1967 and 1968, he became even stronger in his views against apartheid. He started writing in both Afrikaans and English. This helped him reach more readers and get around the censorship in South Africa.
His novel Kennis van die aand (1973) was the first Afrikaans book to be banned by the South African government. André Brink translated this book into English himself. He published it abroad as Looking on Darkness. After this, he wrote his books in both English and Afrikaans at the same time. In 1975, he earned his PhD in Literature from Rhodes University.
Later Life
André Brink passed away on a flight from Amsterdam to South Africa. He had just received an honorary doctorate from a university in Belgium.
Works
Novels
- The Ambassador
- Looking on Darkness (1973)
- An Instant in the Wind (1975) – This book was considered for the Booker Prize.
- Rumours of Rain (1978) – Also considered for the Booker Prize.
- A Dry White Season (1979) – This book won the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize.
- A Chain of Voices (1982)
- The Wall of the Plague
- States of Emergency (1989)
- An Act of Terror (1992)
- The First Life of Adamastor (1993)
- On the Contrary (1994)
- Imaginings of Sand (1996)
- Devil's Valley (1998)
- The Rights of Desire (2000)
- The Other Side of Silence (Anderkant die Stilte) (2002)
- Before I Forget (2004)
- The Other Side of Silence (2004)
- Praying Mantis (2005)
- The Blue Door (2006)
- Other Lives (2008)
- Philida (2012)
Memoirs
- A Fork in the Road (2009)
Essays
- Languages of the Novel: A Lover's Reflections (1998)
Images for kids
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André Brink
See also
In Spanish: André Brink para niños
- Evarcha brinki: a South African jumping spider, named after Brink in 2011
