Diederik Johannes Opperman (1914–1985) was one of the best-known 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...

 poet

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

s of the twentieth century.

He was born on 29 September 1914 in Dundee

Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal

The coal mining town of Dundee is situated in a valley of the Biggarsberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa . It is part of the Endumeni Local Municipality, Umzinyathi District. It is rich in coal deposits...

 in Natal, where he grew up. He went to school in the towns of Estcourt

Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal

Estcourt is a town in the uThukela District of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The main economic activity is farming with large bacon and processed food factories situated around the town. The N3 freeway passes close to the town, linking it to the rest of South Africa.-Location:Estcourt is...

 and Vryheid

Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal

Vryheid is a coal mining and cattle ranching town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Vryheid is Afrikaans for "freedom" or "liberty".-History:...

, and afterwards received an M.A. degree from the University of Natal

University of Natal

The University of Natal was a university in Natal, and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, that is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university...

. He taught at schools in Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...

 and Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

, and later on became editor of "Die Huisgenoot". In 1949 he became a lecturer at 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...

. During this period he completed one of his most important publications – "Digters van Dertig" (Poets of the thirties) – in 1953.

From 1960 to 1975 he was a professor of Afrikaans at Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....

, where he also served on the editorial board of the publication "Standpunte" ("points of view"). He died in 1985 in Stellenbosch.

He won the coveted Hertzog prize for poetry in 1947 for his collection "Heilige beeste(His first book published in 1945)" ("Holy cattle"). He also wrote "Negester oor Ninevé" ("Nine star over Niniveh"), "Joernaal van Jorik" ("The Journal of Jorik"), "Engel uit die klip" ("Angel from the stone"), "Blom en baaierd" ("Flower and Chaos" or perhaps "Flower and rubble"), "Dolosse" ("Knucklebones"), "Kuns-mis" ("Fertilizer"), "Edms. Bpk" ("Pty. Ltd") en "Komas uit 'n bamboesstok" ("Comas from a bamboo pole").

His three verse plays, "Periandros van Korinthe" ("Periandros of Corinth"), "Vergelegen" (a place name, lit. "faraway") and "Voëlvry" ("Outlaw"; lit. "bird-free") appeared in 1954, 1956 and 1968.

His collected essays on literature were published as "Wiggelstok" ("Divining rod"), "Naaldekoker" ("Dragonfly") and "Verspreide opstelle" ("Spread-out essays" – the direct opposite of "Collected essays" in Afrikaans).

He won four Hertzog prizes (in 1947, 1956, 1969 and 1980), four Hofmeyer prizes (in 1954, 1956, 1966 and 1980), two CNA Prizes (in 1964 and 1980), a prize from the "Drie-Eeue Stigting" ("Three Centuries Foundation") in 1956, the Louis Luyt

Louis Luyt

Louis Luyt is a South African business tycoon and politician, and one-time rugby administrator.Making a name for himself as a rugby star as a young man, Luyt went on to found Triomf Fertiliser, Luyt Breweries, and to take control of Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg...

-prize in 1980 and the Gustav Preller

Gustav Preller

Gustav Schoeman Preller is known as a journalist, historian, writer and literarary critic.He fought for the recognition of Afrikaans. Preller helped the Afrikaner to awake to...

 prize for literary criticism

Literary criticism

Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...

 in 1985.

The South African composer Cromwell Everson

Cromwell Everson

Cromwell Everson was primarily known as a composer during his lifetime. He was brought up as an Afrikaner by his mother, Maria De Wit and father, Robert Everson. He continued this tradition and all his children were brought up as Afrikaners....

wrote music for some of Opperman's poems e.g. "Kontraste" and "Nagstorm oor die see".

http://www.stellenboschwriters.com/opperman.html