John van Melle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John van Melle
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| Born | Johannes van Melle 11 February 1887 Goes |
| Died | 8 November 1953 (aged 66) |
John van Melle (born 11 February 1887 – died 8 November 1953) was a famous writer from South Africa. He was born in the Netherlands but became a South African citizen. His real name was Johannes van Melle, but he used "John van Melle" as his pen name. A pen name is like a special nickname a writer uses instead of their real name.
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Who Was John van Melle?
From the Netherlands to South Africa
John van Melle was born in a town called Goes in the Netherlands. This was in 1887. When he was 19 years old, in 1906, he moved to South Africa. He stayed there for a while. Then he went to a place called the Netherlands East Indies for a short time. After that, he came back to South Africa in 1913. He decided to live there permanently.
A Teacher and a Writer
John van Melle worked as a teacher. He taught in many schools in the countryside. While teaching, he also started writing. He wrote in two languages. One was Dutch, his first language. The other was Afrikaans. Afrikaans was a new language that was developing in South Africa at that time.
His Most Famous Book: Bart Nel
John van Melle's most famous book is a novel called Bart Nel. It is a very important book in Afrikaans literature. The story is about a farmer named Bart Nel. His farm is destroyed during a war. He also loses his family. But Bart Nel has a very strong spirit. He never gives up. The book shows how he survives all these difficult challenges.
