Robert Berold
Encyclopedia
Robert Berold is a South Africa
n poet
, editor
and author
Berold was born in Johannesburg
, but currently lives in the Eastern Cape
. He matriculated from Hilton College
at the age of 16, and went on to study Chemical Engineering
and English Literature
at the University of Witwatersrand, and later at Cambridge University. Berold worked as a teacher and activist for various NGOs throughout the 1970s and 1980s, which included a teaching position at the Morris Isaacson High School at the time of the Soweto uprising in 1976 http://sowetouprisings.blogspot.com/2007/07/robert-berolds-story-morris-isaacson.asp. He is the author of four books of poetry: The Door to the River (Bateleur
, 1984), The Fires of the Dead (Carrefour
, 1989), Rain Across a Paper Field (Gecko Poetry, 1999) and All the Days (Deep South
, 2008) and his work has appeared in several South African anthologies
.
South African writer Denis Hirson wrote about his work:
One of South Africa's most influential poets http://southafrica.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=15081, Berold worked as the editor of New Coin from 1989 and 1999, a poetry journal that published much of the groundbreaking poetry that was written in South Africa in the 1990s. The journal's anthology was published in 2002 as It All Begins : poems from post-liberation South Africa, and followed in 2003 by a compilation of interviews with poets entitled "South African Poets on Poetry."
Berold taught English at Zhejiang University
, People's Republic of China
from 2005 to 2006. He further organized various campus-wide seminars on English poetry during this period. His memoir of his experiences, Meanwhile Don't Push and Squeeze, was published in 2007. (Jacana
).
Berold currently makes his living as a writer and editor, and works as a lecturer in creative writing
and literary journalism at Rhodes University
. He runs the small poetry press, Deep South, and lives with his wife on a farm near 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 poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Berold was born in 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...
, but currently lives in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
. He matriculated from Hilton College
Hilton College
Hilton College is a private full boarding senior school for boys located near the small town of Hilton in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa.-History:...
at the age of 16, and went on to study Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
and English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at the University of Witwatersrand, and later at Cambridge University. Berold worked as a teacher and activist for various NGOs throughout the 1970s and 1980s, which included a teaching position at the Morris Isaacson High School at the time of the Soweto uprising in 1976 http://sowetouprisings.blogspot.com/2007/07/robert-berolds-story-morris-isaacson.asp. He is the author of four books of poetry: The Door to the River (Bateleur
Bateleur
The Bateleur is a medium-sized eagle in the bird family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as buzzards, kites and harriers...
, 1984), The Fires of the Dead (Carrefour
Carrefour
Carrefour S.A. is an international hypermarket chain headquartered in Levallois-Perret, France. It is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world...
, 1989), Rain Across a Paper Field (Gecko Poetry, 1999) and All the Days (Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
, 2008) and his work has appeared in several South African anthologies
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
.
South African writer Denis Hirson wrote about his work:
- "His pared down naming of essential things around him, the physicality of the encounter between words and local environment, free of intellectual artifice, along with an increasing meditative simplicity, combine to give his voice its distinctive sound in South Africa today."
One of South Africa's most influential poets http://southafrica.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=15081, Berold worked as the editor of New Coin from 1989 and 1999, a poetry journal that published much of the groundbreaking poetry that was written in South Africa in the 1990s. The journal's anthology was published in 2002 as It All Begins : poems from post-liberation South Africa, and followed in 2003 by a compilation of interviews with poets entitled "South African Poets on Poetry."
Berold taught English at Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University , sometimes referred to as Zheda, is a national university in China. Founded in 1897, Zhejiang University is one of China's oldest institutions of higher education...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
from 2005 to 2006. He further organized various campus-wide seminars on English poetry during this period. His memoir of his experiences, Meanwhile Don't Push and Squeeze, was published in 2007. (Jacana
Jacana
The jaçanas are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone. See Etymology below for pronunciation....
).
Berold currently makes his living as a writer and editor, and works as a lecturer in creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
and literary journalism at Rhodes University
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
. He runs the small poetry press, Deep South, and lives with his wife on a farm near 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
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...