August Aimé Balkema
Encyclopedia
August Aimé Balkema (Avereest
, 6 October 1906 - Rotterdam
, 4 September 1966), or A.A. Balkema, was a Dutch
book trader and publisher active in Amsterdam
and South Africa
. He played a prominent role in the South African publishing world and was included in They shaped our century
(1999), a list of the 100 most influential people in South Africa in the 20th century.
as the son of Sijbrand Harkes Balkema en Antje Tjitske Gelderman. On 18 January 1936 in Zandvoort
, he wed Anna Stehouwer.
("House on Three Canals") in Amsterdam
. During the Second World War, the bookstore was used to clandestinely print and publish works of poetry and other literature. In the series De Vijf Ponden Pers, which Balkema started in 1942, fifty works were published during the war, including works by Dutch poets like A. Roland Holst
and Martinus Nijhoff
as well as books in English and French, languages banned by the German occupiers. The prominent typographer Jan van Krimpen
handled many of these publications. In 1945 Balkema published a catalogue of the series under the name Catalogus van vijftig boeken en boekjes zonder toestemming uitgeven in de jaren 1942-1945 ("Catalogue of fifty books published without permission in the years 1942-1945").
In 1943 Balkema, along with Adriaan Morriën en Fred Batten, started the series Het Zwarte Schaap. After the war, this series was taken over by the publishing house De Bezige Bij
.
During renovations of the Huis aan de Drie Grachten in 2005, a hidden compartment was uncovered containing an archive of wartime documents, including manuscripts and correspondence. The compartment may also have served as a hiding place for (Jewish) onderduikers (people hiding from the Germans). The archive was in 2006 donated to the library of the Koninklijke Vereniging van het Boekenvak ("Royal Association of the Book Trade"), which is housed in the library of the University of Amsterdam.
.
Balkema quickly established his name by publishing specialist books which had often been refused by the more established publishing houses. These included such works as the Hertzog Prize
-winning Die Vrou op die Skuit by Elise Muller (1957). Before long, many South African writer began to approach Balkema of their accord to request that he publish their work. These included Jan Rabie
whose Ons, die afgod was the first Afrikaans
-language anti-apartheid novel, evoking much criticism and controversy when it was published in 1958. Balkema's status was definitely established when he was asked to handle the official publication of the Daghregisters (journals) of Jan van Riebeeck
in 1952.
Balkema was known for the high quality of the books published by him, in particular the typography and design. He was one of the first South African publishers to switch to an IBM
typewriter
for typesetting
. He also introduced non-justified text
to the country.
His perhaps greatest contribution was to Afrikaans-language non-fiction. A large number of books on South African nature, architecture, culture and history were authored and published on his initiative, and are still considered standard works in their respective fields. He also published English-language literature and academic books and journals.
Balkema was included in They shaped our century
(1999), a list of the 100 most influential people in South Africa in the 20th century.
His son started a technical and scientific publisher in Rotterdam, naming it A A Balkema Publishers after his father. This imprint is now part of the Taylor & Francis Group as CRC Press / Balkema.
Avereest
Avereest is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Overijssel. The largest town in the municipality was Dedemsvaart.In 2001, the area became a part of Hardenberg.-External links: Map of the former municipality, around 1868....
, 6 October 1906 - Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, 4 September 1966), or A.A. Balkema, was a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
book trader and publisher active in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He played a prominent role in the South African publishing world and was included in They shaped our century
They shaped our century
The They shaped our century survey was a top 100 list published in 1999 about which people had the greatest influence on South Africa during the twentieth century. The survey was run by South African media giant Media24 among users of its web portal. This survey preceded the SABC Great South...
(1999), a list of the 100 most influential people in South Africa in the 20th century.
Early years
Balkema was born in Avereest in OverijsselOverijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
as the son of Sijbrand Harkes Balkema en Antje Tjitske Gelderman. On 18 January 1936 in Zandvoort
Zandvoort
Zandvoort is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes...
, he wed Anna Stehouwer.
Amsterdam
After studying French literature, he in 1936 opened a bookstore in the Huis aan de Drie GrachtenHuis aan de Drie Grachten
The Huis aan de Drie Grachten or Huis op de Drie Grachten is a 17th-century canal house in Amsterdam, at the southeastern end of the Wallen district. The name is a reference to the fact that the building faces three different Amsterdam canals...
("House on Three Canals") in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. During the Second World War, the bookstore was used to clandestinely print and publish works of poetry and other literature. In the series De Vijf Ponden Pers, which Balkema started in 1942, fifty works were published during the war, including works by Dutch poets like A. Roland Holst
Adriaan Roland Holst
Adriaan Roland Holst was a Dutch writer, nicknamed the "Prince of Dutch Poets". He was the second winner, in 1948, of the Constantijn Huygens Prize...
and Martinus Nijhoff
Martinus Nijhoff
Martinus Nijhoff was a Dutch poet and essayist. He studied literature in Amsterdam and law in Utrecht. His debut was made in 1916 with his volume De wandelaar...
as well as books in English and French, languages banned by the German occupiers. The prominent typographer Jan van Krimpen
Jan van Krimpen
Jan van Krimpen was a Dutch typographer and type designer. He worked for the printing house Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé.- Type designs :...
handled many of these publications. In 1945 Balkema published a catalogue of the series under the name Catalogus van vijftig boeken en boekjes zonder toestemming uitgeven in de jaren 1942-1945 ("Catalogue of fifty books published without permission in the years 1942-1945").
In 1943 Balkema, along with Adriaan Morriën en Fred Batten, started the series Het Zwarte Schaap. After the war, this series was taken over by the publishing house De Bezige Bij
De Bezige Bij
De Bezige Bij is one of the most important literary publishing companies in the Netherlands.-History:The company was founded illegally in 1943, during the German occupation of the Netherlands by Geert Lubberhuizen; its fist publication was a poem by Jan Campert called De Achttien Dooden , which...
.
During renovations of the Huis aan de Drie Grachten in 2005, a hidden compartment was uncovered containing an archive of wartime documents, including manuscripts and correspondence. The compartment may also have served as a hiding place for (Jewish) onderduikers (people hiding from the Germans). The archive was in 2006 donated to the library of the Koninklijke Vereniging van het Boekenvak ("Royal Association of the Book Trade"), which is housed in the library of the University of Amsterdam.
South Africa
After the end of the war, Balkema in 1946 sold his bookstore in Amsterdam and left for South Africa to pursue a career as a publisher there. That same year, he published his first book in South Africa, Vyjtig Gedigte by the South African poet C. Louis LeipoldtC. Louis Leipoldt
Dr. Christian Frederik Louis Leipoldt was a South African poet, who wrote inthe Afrikaans language. Together with Jan F. E. Celliers and...
.
Balkema quickly established his name by publishing specialist books which had often been refused by the more established publishing houses. These included such works as the Hertzog Prize
Hertzog Prize
The Hertzog Prize or is an annual award given to Afrikaans-language writers by the South African Academy for the Sciences and Arts , formerly the South African Academy for Language, Literature and Arts...
-winning Die Vrou op die Skuit by Elise Muller (1957). Before long, many South African writer began to approach Balkema of their accord to request that he publish their work. These included Jan Rabie
Jan Rabie
Jan Sebastian Rabie was an Afrikaans writer of short stories, novels and other literary works. He was born in George, and was the writer of twenty-one works...
whose Ons, die afgod was the first Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-language anti-apartheid novel, evoking much criticism and controversy when it was published in 1958. Balkema's status was definitely established when he was asked to handle the official publication of the Daghregisters (journals) of Jan van Riebeeck
Jan van Riebeeck
Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town.-Biography:...
in 1952.
Balkema was known for the high quality of the books published by him, in particular the typography and design. He was one of the first South African publishers to switch to an IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
for typesetting
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
. He also introduced non-justified text
Justification (typesetting)
In typesetting, justification is the typographic alignment setting of text or images within a column or "measure" to align along both the left and right margin...
to the country.
His perhaps greatest contribution was to Afrikaans-language non-fiction. A large number of books on South African nature, architecture, culture and history were authored and published on his initiative, and are still considered standard works in their respective fields. He also published English-language literature and academic books and journals.
Later years
In the 1960s, Balkema decided to end his career as a publisher. During a visit to his family in the Netherlands in 1986, he fell severely ill. He and his wife Annie decided to settle in the Netherlands, where they remained until their deaths, hers in 1994 and his in 1996.Legacy
In 1984 a liber amicorum in his memory was published by Vriende van die S.A. Biblioteek, Liber amicorum pro A.A. Balkema.Balkema was included in They shaped our century
They shaped our century
The They shaped our century survey was a top 100 list published in 1999 about which people had the greatest influence on South Africa during the twentieth century. The survey was run by South African media giant Media24 among users of its web portal. This survey preceded the SABC Great South...
(1999), a list of the 100 most influential people in South Africa in the 20th century.
His son started a technical and scientific publisher in Rotterdam, naming it A A Balkema Publishers after his father. This imprint is now part of the Taylor & Francis Group as CRC Press / Balkema.