Groot Verseboek

by André Brink (Editor)

Books came in tin container 25 x 11 x 17 cm.

Genres: Poetry

3 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

André Philippus Brink was a South African novelist. He wrote in Afrikaans and English and was until his retirement a Professor of English Literature at the University of Cape Town.

In the 1960s, he and Breyten Breytenbach were key figures in the Afrikaans literary movement known as Die Sestigers ("The Sixty-ers"). These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government, and also to bring into Afrikaans literature the influence of contemporary English and French trends. His novel Kennis van die aand (1973) was the first Afrikaans book to be banned by the South African government.

Brink's early novels were often concerned with the apartheid policy. His final works engaged new issues raised by life in postapartheid South Africa.

Reviews

[Ilze · Rating 5 out of 5]

My father gave me the CD version for my 28th birthday - an amazing gift! It contains not only the poetry, but voice recordings of some of the poets reading their work - even as far back as Celliers' Dis al! Where the poetry has been set to music, you can listen to these as well, by simply popping the CD into a hi-fi. Unfortunately with the upgrades to PC software, I'm unable to access the voice recordings of the poetry readings now. The CD also contains Kannemeyers' Perspektief & Profiel 1 and 2. So, if you were to ask me if I've actually gone through the whole thing word for word, it'd be like asking if I've read the Bible (which I have, cover to cover) - this volume contains FAR too much info to have made my way through everything! It certainly makes sense to have all of this on a CD, as opposed to Brink's latest of having it all in a tin. My favourite voice recording would be of Antjie Krog's Van litteken tot rivier: 7. Rivier

oewer van riet
oewer van slik
oewer van duin en stilte en sloep
oor die skouers van water
geruisloos
glip namekaar
die oker serpe van sand
rivier
rivier der riviere
Nyl van die Neger
n’ger-n-gereo
Niger
rivier soos geen ander
gesonke in herinnering en die droesem van bloed
kies vloei sy koers
weg van see, oorsprong en graniet
ons ontspring dieselfde
maar vloei wes oos
waak oor vloede en mere en die behoue geheue
van moeras en vlei
om abrup te draai
en die delta met systrome te deursing
blussend teen die boggel van die oseaan
die Niger verwoes wie ’n enkele mond probeer vind
want die Niger het vele monde
die Niger gee asem
die Niger smelt grense aan sy flanke
wat voortdreun as ondergrondse geheue
as spleet van belofte
nie van wees nie
maar van word
in die wasem van die Niger
gaan die son onder soos ’n maan
in die kleur van spieël en stilte
van staal en kwik
eierdop
melk
dié rivierreis is niks anders as ekstase
met die wilde skittering van water aan die voete
ek wil die vorm van wees nie beletsel met taal nie
maar hoe hou ek dit vas: die kraag van skittering
die koel plons van lug
hoe sê ek die eerste sê van ster
as stilte die aarde klad
hoe haal dit vir altyd asem in my bloed
hoe die heilige moment te behou
ek plet myself oor die rivier van genade en verrukking
van spoel en glip en vloei en gly
tussen lug en silwer skaats ek geluidloos lig in taal
dit gebeur
as rivier geliefde word
met woorde loop ek op die water
miskien was ek nog nooit so gelukkig nie
soms gaan staan die boot en dryf ons in stilte op glas
dit ruim
dit ruim uiteindelik
in my desperaat varende hart


Brink, Andre P.: Groot Verseboek 2000. electronic ed. Kaapstad : Tafelberg, 2000, S. 558