Elsa Joubert
Encyclopedia
Elsa Joubert born as Elsabé Antoinette Murray on 19 October 1922 in Paarl
, is an Afrikaans
-speaking South African writer. Elsa Joubert rose to prominence with her novel Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena, which was translated into 13 languages and also staged as a drama.
Elsa Joubert grew up in Paarl
and matriculated from the all-girls school La Rochelle
in Paarl in 1939. She then studied at the University of Stellenbosch from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1942 and an SED (Secondary Education Diploma) in 1943. She continued her studies at the University of Cape Town
which she left with a Master
's degree in Dutch-Afrikaans literature at in 1945.
After graduating, Elsa Joubert taught at the Hoër Meisieskool, an all-girls high school in Cradock
, then worked as the editor of the women’s pages of Huisgenoot
, a well-known Afrikaans family magazine, from 1946 to 1948. She then started writing full-time and travelled extensively in Africa
, from the springs of the Nile
in Uganda
, through the Sudan
, to Cairo
, as well as to Mozambique
, Mauritius
, Réunion
, Madagascar
, and Angola
. She also visited Indonesia
.
In 1950 Elsa Joubert married Klaas Steytler, a journalist and later publisher and author, who died in 1998. She has three children, two daughters and one son, and lives in Oranjezicht, Cape Town
.
Paarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...
, is an 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...
-speaking South African writer. Elsa Joubert rose to prominence with her novel Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena, which was translated into 13 languages and also staged as a drama.
Elsa Joubert grew up in Paarl
Paarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...
and matriculated from the all-girls school La Rochelle
La Rochelle Girls' High School
La Rochelle Girls' High School, in Paarl is one of the oldest girls' schools in South Africa.-History:The school was established in 1860 with 40 girls together with a seminary for young ladies open to the daughters of citizens and farmers in the Paarl district. In 1872, Jan de Villiers became...
in Paarl in 1939. She then studied at the University of Stellenbosch from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1942 and an SED (Secondary Education Diploma) in 1943. She continued her studies 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...
which she left with a Master
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
's degree in Dutch-Afrikaans literature at in 1945.
After graduating, Elsa Joubert taught at the Hoër Meisieskool, an all-girls high school in Cradock
Cradock, Eastern Cape
Cradock is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, in the upper valley of the Great Fish River, by rail northeast of Port Elizabeth. The town is the administrative seat of the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality in the Chris Hani District of the Eastern Cape. The estimated population...
, then worked as the editor of the women’s pages of Huisgenoot
Huisgenoot
Huisgenoot is a weekly Afrikaans-language general interest family magazine. It has the highest circulation figures of any South African magazine and is followed by sister magazine YOU, its English language version. A third magazine, Drum, is directed at the black market...
, a well-known Afrikaans family magazine, from 1946 to 1948. She then started writing full-time and travelled extensively in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, from the springs of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, through the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, as well as to Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, and Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. She also visited Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
In 1950 Elsa Joubert married Klaas Steytler, a journalist and later publisher and author, who died in 1998. She has three children, two daughters and one son, and lives in Oranjezicht, 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...
.
Awards
- fellow of the British Royal Society of LiteratureRoyal Society of LiteratureThe Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
- honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University (2001)
- Eugène Marais Prize for Ons wag op die kaptein (1964)
- CNA Prize for Bonga (1971)
- W.A. Hofmeyr Prize, for Poppy Nongena (1979)
- W.A. Hofmeyr Prize and Hertzog PrizeHertzog PrizeThe 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...
for Die reise van Isobelle - Louis Luyt Prize and CNA Prize (1997)
- Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize of the Royal Society of LiteratureRoyal Society of LiteratureThe Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
for Poppie (1980) - Olivier Award for the best play (LondonLondonLondon 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...
) - Obi Award for best script (New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) - Hertzog Prize for prose (1998)
Travelogues
- Water en woestyn (Uganda en Kaïro), Dagbreek Boekhandel, 1957
- Die verste reis (Wes-Europa), 1959
- Suid van die wind (Madagaskar), 1962
- Ons wag op die kaptein - To die at sunset, Tafelberg, 1963
- Die staf van Monomotapa (Mosambiek), 1964
- Swerwer in die Herfsland (Oos-Europa), 1968
- Die nuwe Afrikaan (Angola), Tafelberg, 1974
- Gordel van Smarag (Indonesië), Tafelberg, 1997
Novels and Short Stories
- Die Wahlerbrug, Tafelberg, 1969
- BongaBongaBonga is a town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located southwest of Jimma in the Keficho Shekicho Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region upon a hill in the upper Barta valley, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1,714 meters above sea level...
, Tafelberg, 1971 - Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena, Tafelberg, 1978 - The long journey of Poppie Nongena (1980), translated into 13 languages and also put to the stage as drama.
- MelkMelkMelk is a city of Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,222 ....
(Short Stories), Tafelberg, 1980 - Die laaste Sondag - The last Sunday, Tafelberg, 1983
- Poppie — die drama, (co-author Sandra Kotzé), 1984
- Die vier vriende, 1985 - The four friends (1987) (children's book)
- Missionaris, 1988
- Dansmaat (Short Stories), Tafelberg, 1993
- Die reise van Isobelle, Tafelberg, 1995
- Twee Vroue, Tafelberg, 2002