Cosmo Pieterse
Encyclopedia
Cosmo George Leipoldt Pieterse (born 1930, Windhoek
, Namibia
) is a South African playwright, actor, poet, literary critic and anthologist.
Pieterse went to the University of Cape Town
and taught in Cape Town
until leaving South Africa in 1965. He was banned under the Riotous Assemblies Act of 1962. He subsequently taught in London
and at Ohio University
in the United States: arriving at Ohio University in 1970, he became a tenured faculty member in 1976. However, after travelling to meet his London publisher in 1979 he was denied re-entry to the US on classified information, allegedly for being "a suspected communist".
Pieterse edited several anthologies of plays and poetry for the African Writers Series
.
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
) is a South African playwright, actor, poet, literary critic and anthologist.
Pieterse went to the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
and taught in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
until leaving South Africa in 1965. He was banned under the Riotous Assemblies Act of 1962. He subsequently taught in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and at Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
in the United States: arriving at Ohio University in 1970, he became a tenured faculty member in 1976. However, after travelling to meet his London publisher in 1979 he was denied re-entry to the US on classified information, allegedly for being "a suspected communist".
Pieterse edited several anthologies of plays and poetry for the African Writers Series
African Writers Series
African Writers Series is a series of books by African writers which has been published by Heinemann since 1962. The series has been a vehicle for some of the most important African writers, ensuring an international voice to literary masters including Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Steve Biko,...
.
Works
- (ed.) Ten one-act plays. African Writers Series 34. London: Heinemann Educational Books, 1968.
- (ed. with Donald Munro) Protest & conflict in African literature, 1969
- (ed.) 7 South African poets: poems of exile. African Writers Series 64. London: Heinemann Educational, 1971.
- (ed.) Short African plays. African Writers Series 78. London: Heinemann, 1972.
- (ed.) Five African plays. African Writers Series 114. London: Heinemann, 1972.
- (ed. with Dennis Duerden) African writers talking: a collection of radio interviews, 1972
- (ed. with Gwyneth Henderson), Nine African plays for radio. African Writers Series 114. London: Heinemann, 1973
- Echo and choruses: "Ballad of the cells", and selected shorter poems, 1974
- (ed.) Summer fires: new poetry of Africa, 1983