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Autobiografie #2
Reisiger
Die tweede deel van Elsa Joubert se outobiografiese tweeluik is ’n lewensverhaal wat soos ’n roman lees.
Dit begin waar sy as vyf-en-twintigjarige haar eerste alleenreis aanpak, ’n tog wat haar deur Afrika na Europa neem en die begin vorm van haar lotsgebondenheid met hierdie kontinent, dié “boeiende, donker, onbekende ding” wat haar haar lewe lank getrek het. Reisiger gee ’n eerlike kyk op die lewe van Elsa Joubert en werp lig op die onuitwisbare ervarings wat aanleiding daartoe gegee het dat sy is wat sy is en daarom geskryf soos sy geskryf het.
Altyd het sy die leë kolle van haar lesers se begrip probeer invul deur hulle bewus te maak van ontkende mense se toestande en bestaansituasies, al sou dit vreemd, ontstellend, ongelooflik wees. Maar altyd met net een doel voor oë: om mos op klipharte te laat groei.
Dit begin waar sy as vyf-en-twintigjarige haar eerste alleenreis aanpak, ’n tog wat haar deur Afrika na Europa neem en die begin vorm van haar lotsgebondenheid met hierdie kontinent, dié “boeiende, donker, onbekende ding” wat haar haar lewe lank getrek het. Reisiger gee ’n eerlike kyk op die lewe van Elsa Joubert en werp lig op die onuitwisbare ervarings wat aanleiding daartoe gegee het dat sy is wat sy is en daarom geskryf soos sy geskryf het.
Altyd het sy die leë kolle van haar lesers se begrip probeer invul deur hulle bewus te maak van ontkende mense se toestande en bestaansituasies, al sou dit vreemd, ontstellend, ongelooflik wees. Maar altyd met net een doel voor oë: om mos op klipharte te laat groei.
424 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Elsa Joubert
25 books20 followersElsa (Elsa) Antoinette Murray Joubert was the author of several (travel) books that concern themselves with life in Africa, the relationships between people and the conflicts between cultures.
Joubert grew up in Paarl and matriculated from the all-girls school La Rochelle in Paarl in 1939. She then studied at the University of Stellenbosch from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1942 and an SED (Secondary Education Diploma) in 1943. She continued her studies at the University of Cape Town which she left with a Master's degree in Dutch-Afrikaans literature at in 1945.
After graduating, she taught at an all-girls high school in Cradock, then worked as the editor of the women’s pages of Huisgenoot, a well-known Afrikaans family magazine, from 1946 to 1948. She then started writing full-time and travelled extensively in Africa, from the springs of the Nile in Uganda, through the Sudan, to Cairo, as well as to Mozambique, Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar, and Angola. She also visited Indonesia.
In 1950 Elsa Joubert married Klaas Steytler, a journalist and later publisher and author, who died in 1998. She has three children, two daughters and one son, and lives in Oranjezicht, Cape Town.
Her novel Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena , has been translated into 13 languages and also staged as a drama.
Joubert grew up in Paarl and matriculated from the all-girls school La Rochelle in Paarl in 1939. She then studied at the University of Stellenbosch from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1942 and an SED (Secondary Education Diploma) in 1943. She continued her studies at the University of Cape Town which she left with a Master's degree in Dutch-Afrikaans literature at in 1945.
After graduating, she taught at an all-girls high school in Cradock, then worked as the editor of the women’s pages of Huisgenoot, a well-known Afrikaans family magazine, from 1946 to 1948. She then started writing full-time and travelled extensively in Africa, from the springs of the Nile in Uganda, through the Sudan, to Cairo, as well as to Mozambique, Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar, and Angola. She also visited Indonesia.
In 1950 Elsa Joubert married Klaas Steytler, a journalist and later publisher and author, who died in 1998. She has three children, two daughters and one son, and lives in Oranjezicht, Cape Town.
Her novel Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena , has been translated into 13 languages and also staged as a drama.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 4, 2017
This is a fascinating story about South Africa in the 20th century as experienced by a writer brought up in the Afrikaner tradition who set off to explore Africa on her own in early adulthood and gained a whole new perspective on her country and the scourge of apartheid. Recently translated into English, this book is not a heavy political read, but rather a love story and a deeply personal, sensitive memoir of the author's inner journey as she travels abroad and keeps returning home to write her novels and short stories.
Elsa Joubert tells of the international success that came in the 1980s with her novel, "The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena" [Afrikaans book: Poppie Nongena|11341564] subsequently translated into many languages, which tells of the real struggles of a humble South African woman of colour for whom she developed a strong empathy. (The English version is on Amazon and is definitely worth a read, even today.) After Nelson Mandela was released from prison and became President, the author was invited to dinner with him, and her beautiful depiction of his gracious humanity warms the heart.
I found myself drawn into the narrative, which is filled with wonderfully descriptive passages and carefully crafted vignettes of places, people and local atmosphere. The author is able to distill the essence of her love of nature and new experiences as well as her frustration and indignation at imposed injustices, and put her feelings across in a captivating way. This book also made me realize just how important it is to try and get one's voice heard in whatever way one can in our current time of political turmoil and restrictive regimes, when it should not be utopian to imagine that everyone could have the choice to live a life of freedom and self-expression.
Elsa Joubert tells of the international success that came in the 1980s with her novel, "The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena" [Afrikaans book: Poppie Nongena|11341564] subsequently translated into many languages, which tells of the real struggles of a humble South African woman of colour for whom she developed a strong empathy. (The English version is on Amazon and is definitely worth a read, even today.) After Nelson Mandela was released from prison and became President, the author was invited to dinner with him, and her beautiful depiction of his gracious humanity warms the heart.
I found myself drawn into the narrative, which is filled with wonderfully descriptive passages and carefully crafted vignettes of places, people and local atmosphere. The author is able to distill the essence of her love of nature and new experiences as well as her frustration and indignation at imposed injustices, and put her feelings across in a captivating way. This book also made me realize just how important it is to try and get one's voice heard in whatever way one can in our current time of political turmoil and restrictive regimes, when it should not be utopian to imagine that everyone could have the choice to live a life of freedom and self-expression.
January 7, 2018
Besonderse boek in die lewe van n gesogte Afrikaanse skrywer. Besils aanbeveelbaar.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews