Etienne Leroux
| Etienne Leroux | |
|---|---|
| Born |
13 June 1922 Oudtshoorn, Western Cape |
| Died | 30 December 1989 |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | Afrikaans |
| Nationality | South African |
| Alma mater | Stellenbosch University |
Etienne Leroux (1922–1989) was an influential Afrikaans writer of eminence and a key member of the South African Sestigers literary movement.
Early life & Career
Etienne Leroux was born in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape on 13 June 1922 as Stephanus Petrus Daniël le Roux, son of S.P. Le Roux, a South African Minister of Agriculture. He studied Law at Stellenbosch University (BA, LLB) and worked for a short time at a solicitor's office in Bloemfontein. From 1946 he farmed and lived as a writer on his farm in the Koffiefontein district.
His works gained critical acclaim and were translated into many languages. His 1968 book, translated into English as One for the devil is titled Een vir Azazel (One for Azazel) in Afrikaans, and makes use of the Azazel myth. Etienne Leroux is known as one of the most important (and at the time controversial) writers of the avant garde group of the sixties. He died on 30 December 1989, and was buried at the family church yard of Wamakersdrift, of which his farm formed part.
"His audience will be the audience that only a good writer can merit, an audience which assembles slowly in ones and twos ... the rumour spreads that here an addition will be found to the literature of our time." - Graham Greene
Awards
- Hertzog Prize for prose for Sewe dae by die Silbersteins, 1964
- Hertzog Prize for Prose for Magersfontein, O Magersfontein!, 1979 and CNA Literary Award
- CNA Literary Award for Een vir Azazel
List of works
- Die eerste lewe van Colet, 1955
- Hilaria, 1957
- Die mugu, 1959
- Sewe dae by die Silbersteins, 1962
- Een vir Azazel, 1964
- Die derde oog, 1966
- 1844, 1967
- Isis, Isis, Isis, 1969
- Na'va, 1972
- Magersfontein, o Magersfontein!, 1976
- Onse Hymie, 1982
- Die Silberstein-trilogie, 1984 (appeared at Penguin as: To a dubious salvation)
Etienne Leroux. Die eerste siklus. Die eerste lewe van Colet - Hilaria - Die mugu.
A biography of Etienne Leroux, by the respected biographer of Afrikaans writers, John Christoffel Kannemeyer, was published in July 2008.
Selected publications
- Seven days at the Silbersteins Translated by Charles Eglington. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1964.
- One for the devil Translated by Charles Eglington. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1968.
- The third eye Translated by Amy Starke. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1969.
- 18/44 Translated by Cassandra Perrey. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1972.
- To a dubious salvation: a trilogy of fantastical novels Penguin, 1972.
- Magersfontein, O Magersfontein! Translated by Ninon Roets. Hutchinson, 1983.
External links
Misterie van die alchemis. 'n Inleiding tot Etienne Leroux se negedelige romansiklus. (By Charles Malan)
- Digital Etienne Leroux Project
- Journal of South African Studies Paper on Sewe Dae by die Silbersteins - JSTOR
- SABC news footage of Leroux's funeral on Video on YouTube