Marita van der Vyver facts for kids

Marita van der Vyver (born 6 May 1958) is a famous South African author. She writes books in Afrikaans, which is a language spoken in South Africa. Marita has written many books for both grown-ups and young people.

Since 1999, she has lived in France with her husband and their four children. In 2004, she wrote a funny book of essays called Die hart van ons huis. This book was about what life was like in the French countryside. After that, she released her first collection of short stories, Bestemmings, which also came out in English.

About Marita van der Vyver

Early Life and Education

Marita van der Vyver was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1958. She grew up in different towns like Bellville and Menlo Park. She went to high school at Hoërskool Nelspruit.

In 1975, when she was still in high school, Marita won a special award. She entered a national poetry competition for Afrikaans students and won a scholarship. This scholarship paid for her to study at a university for four years.

Marita chose to study at Stellenbosch University. There, she took part in poetry workshops led by a famous poet named D.J. Opperman. In 1978, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her main subjects were Afrikaans and French.

Becoming a Journalist

After her first degree, Marita continued her studies. The next year, she earned an honours degree in journalism. Journalism is about writing for newspapers or magazines. Later, she completed a master's degree in journalism as well.

Marita spent a year traveling around Europe. When she came back to South Africa, she started working as a reporter for a newspaper called Die Burger. She also worked as a copywriter for a book club called Leserskring. A copywriter writes advertisements or descriptions for products. Later, she became a feature writer for Sarie magazine, writing longer articles about interesting topics.

Marita's Books

Marita van der Vyver has written many different kinds of books. She writes novels for young people, books for young children, and novels for adults. Many of her stories have won awards and have been translated into other languages.

Books for Young People

Marita wrote three novels for young people before she wrote her first book for adults. These early youth novels include:

• Van Jou Jas (published in 1982)
• Tien vir 'n Vriend (published in 1987)
• Eenkantkind (published in 1991)

In 1994, she published another youth novel called Dinge van 'n Kind. This book was also very popular.

Books for Children

In 1997, Marita wrote her first book specifically for young children. It was titled Olinosters op die Dak. This book was a fun story for younger readers.

Novels for Adults

Marita's first novel for adults was Griet skryf 'n Sprokie, published in 1992. This book was a huge success! It won several important awards, including the ATKV prize, the M-Net prize, and the Eugène Marais prize. The book was so popular that it was translated into many languages, such as English, Dutch, Italian, French, Spanish, Swedish, Czech, Chinese, and Hebrew.

She continued to write adult novels, including Wegkomkans in 1999 and Griet Kom Weer in 2001.

Books Adapted for Screen and Stage

Many of Marita van der Vyver's books have been turned into movies or plays. For example, her youth novel Die Ongelooflike Avonture van Hanna Hoekom won the Sanlam Prize for Youth Fiction in 2002. It was later made into a film in 2010.

Other novels that have been adapted for stage or screen include:

• Griet Skryf 'n Sprokie
• Die Dinge van 'n Kind
• Vergenoeg
• Dis Koue Kos, Skat
• Stiltetyd

Her stories are loved by many and continue to be enjoyed in different forms.