THE “NUWE PROSA” IN AFRIKAANS SINCE
c.1960
Danielle Vorster
Modern Fiction
Mr. T. Huisamen
, Page |1
THE “NUWE PROSA” IN AFRIKAANS SINCE c.1960
The story of Afrikaans prose wri ng, especially a er 1960, is one of dras cally changed values. The
combina on of religion, patriarchy and na onalism is boldly asserted in earlier Afrikaans wri ng, yet
throughout the years it became nuanced, adapted and ul mately discarded. This essay is a brief
overview of Afrikaans prose a er the 1960s. The cultural ac vity in South Africa, especially Afrikaans
literature, developed in dynamic rela on to the socio-poli cal climate of the country at the me. The
1960s can be considered a period of renewal in Afrikaans prose wri ng. In the works of E enne
leroux and André P. Brink taboo topics such as sex are treated in a more explicit manner along with a
trend of using symbolism in their texts. Li érature engagée (engaged literature) is very evident of
1970s Afrikaans, especially with the work of John miles. In this period the no on of African iden ty is
also considered, in the work of Wilma Stockenström, in order to cri que the Afrikaans canon. In the
1980s compulsory military conscrip on gives rise to a new sub-genre of literature in Afrikaans, be er
known as grensliteratuur (border literature). Writers such as Alexander Strachan focused on giving a
‘real and truthful’ overview of the experiences of male soldiers during the Border War. During the
poli cal emergency of the 1980s, Afrikaans women writers, e.g. Jeanne Goosen, have occupied a
strong place in the tradi on of disagreement against a male-dominant society and the apartheid
regime in Afrikaans literature. Work in the later part of the 1980s and of the 1990s show
characteris cs of postmodernism. The re ec on on issues of iden ty is a very prominent discourse
in almost all postcolonial socie es, like in South Africa, it clearly re ects in the Afrikaans prose
wri ng of writers such as Jeanne Goosen and Ingrid Winterbach.
The cultural renewal of the six es was not con ned to Afrikaans literature but it in uenced the
whole social fabric of South Africa – challenging many social taboos and prejudices – also challenging
“the literary, moral, religious and poli cal conven ons of the Afrikaner” (Kannemeyer, 1993: 90).
Socio-poli cal concerns in South Africa at the me, such as Sharpeville and the Soweto Uprising, had
an in uence on Afrikaans literature (Roos in Van Coller, 1998: 51).
The Ses gers earned their name from the experimental avant-garde journal of the same name. The
journal, started by André P. Brink and a group of other wri ers, was short‑lived (1963 – 1965) but
gave expression to the forthcoming changes in Afrikaans literature. The prose wri ng from this group
was a complete break with the literary establishment, according to Gardner (Roos in Van Coller,
1998: 51):
They brought a complete new dimension into the narra ve of Afrikaans… (And) its
in uence was felt in white Afrikaner society by the demoli on of many taboos and
prejudices… and the modi ca on of the literary, moral, religious and poli cal
conven ons of the Afrikaner… Though tenta vely, some of them, especially André P.
Brink, already explored the South African iden ty.
c.1960
Danielle Vorster
Modern Fiction
Mr. T. Huisamen
, Page |1
THE “NUWE PROSA” IN AFRIKAANS SINCE c.1960
The story of Afrikaans prose wri ng, especially a er 1960, is one of dras cally changed values. The
combina on of religion, patriarchy and na onalism is boldly asserted in earlier Afrikaans wri ng, yet
throughout the years it became nuanced, adapted and ul mately discarded. This essay is a brief
overview of Afrikaans prose a er the 1960s. The cultural ac vity in South Africa, especially Afrikaans
literature, developed in dynamic rela on to the socio-poli cal climate of the country at the me. The
1960s can be considered a period of renewal in Afrikaans prose wri ng. In the works of E enne
leroux and André P. Brink taboo topics such as sex are treated in a more explicit manner along with a
trend of using symbolism in their texts. Li érature engagée (engaged literature) is very evident of
1970s Afrikaans, especially with the work of John miles. In this period the no on of African iden ty is
also considered, in the work of Wilma Stockenström, in order to cri que the Afrikaans canon. In the
1980s compulsory military conscrip on gives rise to a new sub-genre of literature in Afrikaans, be er
known as grensliteratuur (border literature). Writers such as Alexander Strachan focused on giving a
‘real and truthful’ overview of the experiences of male soldiers during the Border War. During the
poli cal emergency of the 1980s, Afrikaans women writers, e.g. Jeanne Goosen, have occupied a
strong place in the tradi on of disagreement against a male-dominant society and the apartheid
regime in Afrikaans literature. Work in the later part of the 1980s and of the 1990s show
characteris cs of postmodernism. The re ec on on issues of iden ty is a very prominent discourse
in almost all postcolonial socie es, like in South Africa, it clearly re ects in the Afrikaans prose
wri ng of writers such as Jeanne Goosen and Ingrid Winterbach.
The cultural renewal of the six es was not con ned to Afrikaans literature but it in uenced the
whole social fabric of South Africa – challenging many social taboos and prejudices – also challenging
“the literary, moral, religious and poli cal conven ons of the Afrikaner” (Kannemeyer, 1993: 90).
Socio-poli cal concerns in South Africa at the me, such as Sharpeville and the Soweto Uprising, had
an in uence on Afrikaans literature (Roos in Van Coller, 1998: 51).
The Ses gers earned their name from the experimental avant-garde journal of the same name. The
journal, started by André P. Brink and a group of other wri ers, was short‑lived (1963 – 1965) but
gave expression to the forthcoming changes in Afrikaans literature. The prose wri ng from this group
was a complete break with the literary establishment, according to Gardner (Roos in Van Coller,
1998: 51):
They brought a complete new dimension into the narra ve of Afrikaans… (And) its
in uence was felt in white Afrikaner society by the demoli on of many taboos and
prejudices… and the modi ca on of the literary, moral, religious and poli cal
conven ons of the Afrikaner… Though tenta vely, some of them, especially André P.
Brink, already explored the South African iden ty.
