Rudolf Johannes van Niekerk (known as Dolf) ( — ) was a South African author, dramatist, radio presenter and professor. He wrote in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

and was a member of the

Sestigers The Sestigers (Sixtiers), also known as the Beweging van Sestig ("the movement of the sixties"), were a dissident literary movement of Afrikaans-language poets and writers in South Africa under apartheid. The movement was started in the beachside ...

group.

Education

van Niekerk was born in

Edenburg Edenburg is a town situated about south of Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa. , it had a population of 14,566. Background Edenburg was proclaimed a town in 1863 and received municipal government in 1891. The town is 85 ...

and matriculated at the Edenburg High School. In 1949 he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree by the University College of the Orange Free State in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

, and in 1950 an

honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, ...

in Philosophy at the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

(''Unisa''). In 1967, he was awarded a Master of Arts degree by the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...

. In 1978, he became an

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

of the

, a position he held until his retirement in 1994.Biografiese inligting op nb.co.za
, besoek op 16 Januarie 2015

Career

In 1950 he became a radio presenter and producer. In 1957, he became the head of the radio department for the Department of Agriculture, and later the Head of Radio for the whole broadcasting network. van Niekerk's first work, a book of poems, ''Standpunte'', was published in 1953. He also was writing prose and

radio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

s and writing for television. His novel ''Gannavlei'' was published in 1958. He was awarded the Eugène-Marais Prize in 1963, for his collection of short stories. In 1986, he was awarded the MER Prize, and the Scheepers Award for Youth Literature, for the novel ''Die Haasvanger''.

Works

Prose

* ''Gannavlei'': novel, Dagbreek-Boekhandel, 1958 * ''Die son struikel'', Dagbreek-Boekhandel, 1960 * ''Skepsels'', Afrikaanse Pers Boekhandel, 1963 * ''Die moeder'', Nasionale Boekhandel, 1965 * ''Woord in die môre'', Perskor, 1978 * ''Kort lewe van 'n reisiger'', Tafelberg, 1979 * '' 'n Bietjie luisterkuier'', Folio, 1983 * ''Koms van die hyreën'', Tafelberg, 1994 * ''Koors'', Tafelberg, 1997 * ''Brandoffer: vertellings uit die Tweede Vryheidsoorlog'', Tafelberg, 1998 * ''Die aarde waarop ek loop'', Lapa, 2003 * ''Kroniek van Turf'', Protea Boekhuis, 2017

Drama (stage, television and radio)

* ''Kwart voor dagbreek'': 'n verhoogspel in drie bedrywe, Afrikaanse Pers Boekhandel, 1961 * ''Die paddas: satiriese eenakter'', Dalro, 1968 * ''Kamer 99'', Perskor, 1972 * ''Die nagloper: twee tekste vir televisie'', Human & Rousseau, 1976 * ''Niemand se dag nie'', Perskor, 1982

Youth literature

* ''Skrik kom huis toe Nasionale Boekhandel, 1968 * ''Karel Kousop'', Tafelberg, 1985 * ''Die haasvanger'', Tafelberg, 1985

Poetry

* ''Karoosange'', Tafelberg, 1975 * ''Dubbelster'', Tafelberg, 1996 * ''Nag op 'n kaal plein'', Human & Rousseau, 2006Profiel op goodreads.com
besoek op 16 Januarie 2015 * ''Lang reis na Ithaka'', Protea Boekhuis, 2009 * ''Bleek planet'', Protea Boekhuis, 2013 * ''Portrette in my gang'', Protea Boekhuis, 2015

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:van Niekerk, Dolf 1929 births 2022 deaths South African writers Afrikaner people People from Kopanong Local Municipality