Daphne Rooke
Encyclopedia
Daphne Marie Rooke (6 March 1914 – 21 January 2009 ) was a South Africa
n author of works such as "Mittee", "Ratoons" and "Wizards' Country". She also wrote travel articles and books for children set in India, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
; the youngest of six children. Her father was English. Her mother was an Afrikaaner from a well-known family that included the writer Leon Maré and a founder of Pietersburg, Siegfried Maré. After her father's death in the First World War, the family relocated to Natal
, where they lived a hardscrabble farming life. During this time, her mother published a book, "The Children of the Veld" (under the name "Mare Knevitt"). This inspired Daphne to try her hand at writing and she became a journalist. In 1946, she was co-winner of the Afrikaanse Pers literary prize, for a work that was eventually published as her first novel, under the title "A Grove of Fever Trees". In the meantime (1937) she had married an Australian named Irvin ("Bertie") Rooke, who she had met while doing organizational work for the Transport Workers Union. Following the Durban
riots in 1949, they left for Australia. They returned to Natal in the fifties but, disturbed by the police state
mentality in South Africa, moved back to Australia in 1965. In the 1980s her work was "rediscovered" by the University of Natal
, which awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1997. She remained in Australia until Bertie's death in 1989 when she moved to Cambridge, England, where she lived for the rest of her life.
, Boston University
, USA;
National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown
, 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...
n author of works such as "Mittee", "Ratoons" and "Wizards' Country". She also wrote travel articles and books for children set in India, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Biography
Daphne Rooke was born in Boksburg, TransvaalTransvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
; the youngest of six children. Her father was English. Her mother was an Afrikaaner from a well-known family that included the writer Leon Maré and a founder of Pietersburg, Siegfried Maré. After her father's death in the First World War, the family relocated to Natal
Natal, South Africa
Natal is a region in South Africa. It stretches between the Indian Ocean in the south and east, the Drakensberg in the west, and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The main cities are Pietermaritzburg and Durban...
, where they lived a hardscrabble farming life. During this time, her mother published a book, "The Children of the Veld" (under the name "Mare Knevitt"). This inspired Daphne to try her hand at writing and she became a journalist. In 1946, she was co-winner of the Afrikaanse Pers literary prize, for a work that was eventually published as her first novel, under the title "A Grove of Fever Trees". In the meantime (1937) she had married an Australian named Irvin ("Bertie") Rooke, who she had met while doing organizational work for the Transport Workers Union. Following the Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
riots in 1949, they left for Australia. They returned to Natal in the fifties but, disturbed by the police state
Police state
A police state is one in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population...
mentality in South Africa, moved back to Australia in 1965. In the 1980s her work was "rediscovered" by 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...
, which awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1997. She remained in Australia until Bertie's death in 1989 when she moved to Cambridge, England, where she lived for the rest of her life.
Novels
- The Sea Hath Bounds. A.P.B. Bookstore (1946) later published as A Grove of Fever Trees, Houghton Mifflin (1950), Jonathan Cape (1951).
- Mittee. Victor Gollancz (1951), Houghton Mifflin (1952), Chameleon Press (1987), Penguin Books (1991), Toby Press (2007)
- Ratoons. Victor Gollancz and Houghton Mifflin (1953) Chameleon Press (1987), Toby Press (2007)
- Wizards' Country. Victor Gollancz and Houghton Mifflin (1957), Chameleon Press (1987) Toby Press (2007)
- Beti. Victor Gollancz and Houghton Mifflin (1959).
- A Lover for Estelle. Victor Gollancz and Houghton Mifflin (1961).
- The Greyling. Victor Gollancz (1962), Reynal (1963).
- Diamond Jo. Victor Gollancz and Reynal (1965).
- Boy on the Mountain. Victor Gollancz (1969).
- Margaretha de la Porte. Victor Gollancz (1974).
Short Stories
- "The Friends," in South African Stories, edited by David Wright. Faber & Faber and Duell (1960).
- "Fikizolo," in Over the Horizon. Victor Gollancz (1960).
Children's Books
- The South African Twins. Jonathan Cape (1953); as Twins in South Africa, Houghton Mifflin (1955).
- The Australian Twins. Jonathan Cape (1954); as Twins in Australia, Houghton Mifflin (1956).
- New Zealand Twins. Jonathan Cape (1957).
- Double Ex!. Victor Gollancz (1971).
- A Horse of His Own. Victor Gollancz (1976).
Critical Studies
- Orville Prescott, in the New York Times, March 1, 1950
- Dorothy Canfield FisherDorothy Canfield FisherDorothy Canfield Fisher was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early decades of the twentieth century. She was named by Eleanor Roosevelt as one of the ten most influential women in the United States...
, in the Book-of-the-Month News (New York), January 1952 - Sylvia Stallings, in the New York Herald TribuneNew York Herald TribuneThe New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
, December 20, 1953 - Paul Scott, in Country LifeCountry Life (magazine)Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
(London), May 24, 1962 - R.W Johnson, in the Times Literary Supplement (London), July 5, 2006
Manuscript Collections
Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Mugar Memorial LibraryMugar Memorial Library
The Mugar Memorial Library is the primary library for study, teaching, and research in the humanities and social sciences for Boston University and Boston University Academy. It was opened in 1966. Stephen P. Mugar, an Armenian immigrant who was successful in the grocery business, provided the...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, USA;
National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
, South Africa.