Etienne Leroux (born Stephanus Petrus Daniël le Roux; 13 June 1922 – 30 December 1989) was an

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 ...

writer and a member of the South African Sestigers literary movement.

Early life and career

Etienne Leroux was born in Oudtshoorn in the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

on 13 June 1922 as Stephanus Petrus Daniël le Roux, son of Stephanus Petrus le Roux, a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n Minister of Agriculture. He studied law at

Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

(BA, LLB) and worked for a short time at a solicitor's office 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 ...

. From 1946 he farmed and lived as a writer on his farm in the Koffiefontein district. Etienne was a pupil at Grey College Bloemfontein where he matriculated. An English translation of his 1964 novel ''Een vir Azazel'' (lit. "One for

Azazel In the Hebrew Bible, the name Azazel (; ''ʿĂzāʾzēl'') represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the Jewish views on sin, sins of the Jews was sent during Yom Kippur. During the late Second Temple period (after the Development ...

") was published in 1968 as ''One for the Devil''. In his book review for ''One for the Devil'',

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

wrote: "His audience will be the audience that only a good writer can merit, an audience which assembles slowly from far away in ones and twos; while the big book club motorcoaches hurtle down the highway toward oblivion, the rumour spreads that here an addition will be found to the literature of our time." Several of his books were banned by the government of South Africa. He died on 30 December 1989, and was buried at the family church yard of Wamakersdrift, of which his farm formed part.

Bibliography

* ''Die eerste lewe van Colet'' (1955) * ''Hilaria'' (1957) * ''Die mugu'' (1959) * ''Sewe dae by die Silbersteins'' (1962). ''Seven Days at the Silbersteins'', trans. Charles Eglington (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1964). Also translated by Greg Penfold (2013). * ''Een vir Azazel'' (1964). ''One for the Devil'', trans. Charles Eglington (Houghton Mifflin, 1968). * ''Die derde oog'' (1966). ''The Third Eye'', trans. Amy Starke (Houghton Mifflin, 1969). * ''18-44'' (1967). ''18-44'', trans. Cassandra Perrey (Houghton Mifflin, 1972). * ''IsisIsisIsis'' (1969) * ''Na'va'' (1972) * ''Magersfontein, o Magersfontein!'' (1976). ''Magersfontein, O Magersfontein!'', trans. Ninon Roets (Hutchinson, 1983). * ''Onse Hymie'' (1982)

Compilations

* ''Die Silberstein-trilogie'' (1984). Includes: ''Sewe dae by die Silbersteins''; ''Een vir Azazel''; ''Die derde oog'' * ''Die eerste siklus'' (1986). Includes: ''Die eerste lewe van Colet''; ''Hilaria''; ''Die mugu'' * ''Die 18-44 trilogie'' (2008). Includes: ''18-44''; ''IsisIsisIsis''; ''Na’va'' The English translations of ''Die Silberstein-trilogie'' were also published as a single volume: ''To a Dubious Salvation: A Trilogy of Fantastical Novels'' (Penguin, 1972).

Awards and honours

* 1964: Hertzog Prize (Prose) for ''Sewe dae by die Silbersteins'' * 1964: CNA Literary Award for ''Een vir Azazel'' * 1976: CNA Literary Award for ''Magersfontein, o Magersfontein!'' * 1979: Hertzog Prize (Prose) for ''Magersfontein, o Magersfontein!''Die Suid-Afrikaanse Gids - Isabel Uys

References

External links

Misterie van die alchemis. 'n Inleiding tot Etienne Leroux se negedelige romansiklus. (By Charles Malan)
Digital Etienne Leroux Project
* Journal of Southern African Studies Paper on ''Sewe Dae by die Silbersteins''
JSTOR
*

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