Marguerite Poland facts for kids

Marguerite Poland (born 3 April 1950, in Johannesburg) is a famous South African writer. She has written many books, including eleven for children!

Marguerite Poland's Early Life

Marguerite Poland was born in Johannesburg on April 3, 1950. When she was two years old, her family moved to the Eastern Cape. She grew up there and spent most of her childhood.

She went to St Dominic's Priory School in Port Elizabeth. After school, she studied at Rhodes University. She learned about people and cultures (Social Anthropology) and the Xhosa language.

Later, she continued her studies at Stellenbosch University. She earned a special degree in African languages. She also got a master's degree in Zulu literature. She loved studying Zulu folktales, especially those about cattle. In 1997, she earned her PhD from the University of Natal. Her research was about the Sanga-Nguni cattle of the Zulu people.

Her Life and Family

Marguerite Poland also worked as a social worker. She helped people in Port Elizabeth and Durban. She also worked at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town. There, she studied different cultures.

More recently, she taught English at St. Andrew's College in Grahamstown. She was asked to write a book about the school's history. This book, The Boy in You, came out in 2008. It celebrated the school's 150th birthday.

Marguerite is married to Martin Oosthuizen. He is a lawyer and also grew up in the Eastern Cape. They have two daughters and four grandchildren. They live in both Durban and Grahamstown. Marguerite helps the college with its history.

Her Amazing Books

Marguerite Poland has written many wonderful books. She is especially known for her children's stories. Two of her children's books, The Mantis and the Moon and Woodash Stars, won the Percy FitzPatrick Award. This is a special award for children's literature. The Mantis and the Moon was even translated into Japanese!

She has also written five novels for adults. Her book Shades was very popular. It was even studied by high school students in South Africa for many years. This book was also translated into Dutch.

Her novel Iron Love was inspired by boys' lives before World War I. Another of her books, The Keeper, was published in 2014. It was translated into Afrikaans. In 2019, she released A Sin of Omission, a historical novel.

Marguerite Poland's books have been translated into many languages. These include Afrikaans, Dutch, French, and Japanese. She is a well-known writer in South Africa and around the world.

Awards and Recognition

Marguerite Poland has received many important awards for her writing.

Lifetime Achievement Awards

She has won two national Lifetime Achievement Awards for English literature.

• In 2005, she received one from the Department of Arts and Culture.
• In 2010, she received another from the South African Literary Awards.

Children's Literature Awards

• She was the first person to win the Percy FitzPatrick Award in 1979 for The Mantis and the Moon.
• She won this award again in 1983 for Woodash Stars.
• In 1984, she received the Japanese Sankei Honourable Award for The Mantis and the Moon.

Other Notable Awards

• Her book Train to Doringbult was shortlisted for the CNA Award in 1988.
• Shades was shortlisted for the M-Net Award in 1994.
• In 2013, Taken Captive by Birds was shortlisted for the Nielsen Booksellers' Choice Award.
• In 2015, she won the Nielsen Booksellers' Choice Award for The Keeper. This award is given to the book that booksellers in South Africa loved the most.
• Also in 2015, she won the Ingwazi Award. This was for her work in sharing the cultural history of KwaZulu-Natal.
• On April 28, 2016, she received the Order of Ikhamanga - Silver (OIS). This high honor was given for her excellent work in indigenous languages, literature, and anthropology.

Marguerite Poland's Works

Novels for Adults

• The Train to Doringbult (shortlisted for the CNA Award)
• Shades (shortlisted for the M-Net Award)
• Iron Love
• Recessional for Grace (translated into French as Cantique pour Grace)
• The Keeper (translated into Afrikaans as Die Bewaker)
• A Sin of Omission. EnvelopeBooks (UK/ROI). 5 May 2022.

Non-fiction Books

• The Abundant Herds: a Celebration of the Nguni Cattle of the Zulu People with David Hammond-Took, illustrated by Leigh Voigt
• The Boy in You: a Biography of St Andrew's College, Grahamstown 1855–2005, illustrated by Craig Ivor
• The St Andrew's College Chapel - a history: 1955-2018

Children's Books

• The Mantis and the Moon, 1979 (Percy FitzPatrick Award)
• Die Bidsprikaan en die Maan, 1981
• The Bush Shrike, 1982, Raven Press
• Woodash Stars, 1983 (Percy FitzPatrick Award)
• The Small Clay Bull, 1984, David Philip
• The Story of the Fiery Necked Nightjar, 1984, Raven Press

Anthologies (Stories in Collections)

Marguerite Poland has contributed stories to these collections:

• South Africa 27 April 1994 Ed. Andre Brink, 1994 Quellerie
• 27 April, One Year Later. Ed Andre Brink, 1995 Quellerie
• Madiba Magic, date? Tafelberg
• Keersy/Crossing Over, Stories from a new South Africa compiled by Linda Rode and Jakes Gerwel