Eben Venter is an Afrikaans-speaking writer who was born in

Burgersdorp Burgersdorp is a medium-sized town in Walter Sisulu in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. In 1869 a Theological Seminary was established here by the '' Gereformeerde Kerk'', but in 1905 it was mov ...

in South Africa and has lived in Australia, Japan and the Netherlands. He published thirteen works of fiction (novels, short story collections and a cookbook). His works have been translated into English, Dutch and German. He was awarded the

M-Net Literary Award M-Net Literary Awards were a group of South African literary awards, awarded from 1991 to 2013. They were established and sponsored by M-Net (Electronic Media Network), a South African television station. The award was suspended indefinitely a ...

in 2010 for his book ''Santa Gamka''.

Life

Venter was raised on a farm in

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

. He went to Grey College 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 ...

before he was conscripted into the air force and served on the Angolan border. He obtained an MA in Philosophy and worked as a journalist in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

before leaving South Africa in 1986, during the State of Emergency. He went to Australia where he worked as a chef in his sibling's café. In 2005, Venter taught at

Adam Mickiewicz University Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam si ...

and Palacky University before becoming a writer-in-residency at the

Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIAS) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is an independent research institute in the field of the humanities and social and behavioural sciences founded in 1970. The insti ...

in 2007. On August 4, 2010, Venter was nominated for the

in the Afrikaans category for his book ''Santa Gamka.'' The

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Nelson Mandela University, formerly Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, is a public university in South Africa. Established in 1882 as Port Elizabeth, Art School it comprises the former University of Port Elizabeth, the Port Elizabeth Te ...

awarded him as an alumni achiever in November 2011. In 2012, he was writer-in-residence at

Rhodes University Rhodes University () is a public research university located in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the prov ...

. In 2018, Venter released his first book created in English instead of Afrikaans titled ''Green as the sky is blue.''

List of titles

*1986 ''Witblitz'' *1993 ''Foxtrot van die vleiseters'', translated into German by Stefanie Schäfer (''Burenfoxtrott'') and Dutch by Riet de Jong-Goossens (''Dans aan het einde van de dag'') *1996 ''Ek stamel, ek sterwe'', translated into English by Luke Stubbs (''My Beautiful Death'') and Dutch by Riet de Jong-Goossens (''Ik stamel ik sterf'') *1999 ''My simpatie, Cerise'' *2000 ''Twaalf'' *2003 ''Begeerte'' *2006 ''Horrelpoot'', translated into English by Luke Stubbs (''Trencherman'') *2009 ''Santa Gamka'' *2010 ''Brouhaha'' *2013 ''Wolf, Wolf'', translated into English by

Michiel Heyns Michiel Heyns (born 2 December 1943) is a South African author, translator and academic. He went to school in Thaba 'Nchu, Kimberley and Grahamstown, and later studied at the University of Stellenbosch and Cambridge University The Unive ...

*2017 ''Groen soos die hemel daarbo'', translated into English (''Green as the sky is blue'') by the author *2023 ''Decima'', translated into Afrikaans by the author

Awards

* 1994

Media24 Books Literary Awards The Media24 Books Literary Awards (known before 2011 as the Via Afrika Awards, and before that as the Nasboek Literary Awards) are a group of five South African literary prizes awarded annually by Media24, the print-media arm of the South African ...

(WA Hofmeyr Prize) – ''Foxtrot van die vleiseters'' * 1996

(WA Hofmeyr Prize) – ''Ek stamel, ek sterwe'' * 2004

(WA Hofmeyr Prize) – ''Begeerte'' * 2010

(WA Hofmeyr Prize) – ''Santa Gamka'' * 2010

M-Net Literary Awards M-Net Literary Awards were a group of South African literary awards, awarded from 1991 to 2013. They were established and sponsored by M-Net (Electronic Media Network), a South African television station. The award was suspended indefinitely a ...

– ''Santa Gamka''

References

External links

Author focus of publisher Tafelberg

Interview with Eben Venter
1954 births Living people South African writers Nelson Mandela University alumni {{SouthAfrica-writer-stub