Elsa Joubert facts for kids

Elsabé Antoinette Murray Joubert (born October 19, 1922 – died June 14, 2020) was a famous South African writer. She wrote in Afrikaans, one of South Africa's languages. She became very well-known for her novel Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena (which means The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena). This book was so popular that it was translated into 13 different languages! It was also turned into a play and a movie called Poppie Nongena.

Early Life and Career

Elsa Joubert was born and grew up in a town called Paarl in South Africa. She finished high school at La Rochelle Girls' High School in Paarl in 1939. After that, she went to the University of Stellenbosch. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1942 and a teaching diploma in 1943. She continued her studies at the University of Cape Town and received a Master's degree in Dutch-Afrikaans literature in 1945.

After finishing her studies, Joubert worked as a teacher at a girls' high school in Cradock. Then, from 1946 to 1948, she was an editor for the women's pages of Huisgenoot. This was a very popular Afrikaans family magazine.

Later, she started writing full-time. She traveled a lot, especially in Africa. She visited places like Uganda, Sudan, Cairo, Mozambique, Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar, and Angola. She also traveled to Indonesia.

In 1950, Elsa Joubert married Klaas Steytler, who was a journalist, publisher, and author. He passed away in 1998. Elsa and Klaas had three children: two daughters and one son. She lived in Oranjezicht, Cape Town, for many years.

Elsa Joubert died in Cape Town on June 14, 2020. She passed away due to problems related to COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. Just before she died, she wrote a letter asking for elderly people in care homes to be allowed to see their families. She wrote, "We are in the last months and weeks of our lives, and we who live in homes... are totally cut off from our family members."

Awards and Recognition

Elsa Joubert received many important awards for her writing. These awards show how much her work was appreciated:

• She was a Fellow of the British Royal Society of Literature.
• She received an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University in 2001.
• She won the Eugène Marais Prize for her book Ons wag op die kaptein in 1964.
• She received the CNA Prize for Bonga in 1971.
• For Poppy Nongena, she won the W.A. Hofmeyr Prize in 1979.
• She also won the W.A. Hofmeyr Prize and the Hertzog Prize for her book Die reise van Isobelle.
• She received the Louis Luyt Prize and another CNA Prize in 1997.
• Her book Poppie won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize from the Royal Society of Literature in 1980.
• The play based on Poppie won an Olivier Award for best play in London.
• The play also won an Obi Award for best script in New York City.
• She received the Hertzog Prize for prose in 1998, which is a very high honor for Afrikaans writers.

List of Works

Elsa Joubert wrote many different types of books, including travel stories, novels, short stories, and books about her own life.

Travelogues

These books are about her travels to different parts of the world:

• Water en woestyn (Uganda en Kaïro) (1957)
• Die verste reis (Wes-Europa) (1959)
• Suid van die wind (Madagaskar) (1962)
• Die staf van Monomotapa (Mosambiek) (1964)
• Swerwer in die Herfsland (Oos-Europa) (1968)
• Die nuwe Afrikaan (Angola) (1974)
• Gordel van Smarag (Indonesië) (1997)

Novels and Short Stories

These are her fictional stories:

• Ons wag op die kaptein – To die at sunset (1963)
• Die Wahlerbrug (1969)
• Bonga (1971)
• Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena (1978) – This famous book was translated as The long journey of Poppie Nongena (1980) and made into a play.
• Melk (Short Stories) (1980)
• Die laaste Sondag – The last Sunday (1983)
• Poppie – die drama (co-written with Sandra Kotzé) (1984)
• Die vier vriende (1985) – translated as The four friends (1987), this was a children's book.
• Missionaris (1988)
• Dansmaat (Short Stories) (1993)
• Die reise van Isobelle (1995)
• Twee Vroue (2002)

Autobiographies

These books tell the story of her own life:

• 'n Wonderlike Geweld (2005) – translated as A Lion on the Landing (2014).
• Reisiger (2010)
• Spertyd (2017)

See also

In Spanish: Elsa Joubert para niños