Dertigers
Encyclopedia
The Dertigers, or "writers of the thirities," are a group of Afrikaans
-language South African poets who achieved new heights of eloquence in the young language's early decades of the 20th century.
The Dertigers arose after the Tweede Asem
("Second Breath") writers of the first decades of the 20th century; the year of 1934 is often selected as the breakthrough date for the Dertigers: W.E.G. Louw's Die ryke dwaas ("The Rich Fool") appeared in that year. The Dertigers strove to write a more emotionally intense, soul-baring poetry than their predecessors. They eschewed gentlemanliness and bourgeois convention in order to produce a more honest and intimate poetry.
A further aim of the Dertigers was the effort to achieve a literary greatness that would make its mark in world literature. In an attempt to express their humanity to the fullest, the poetry of the Dertigers has a confessional quality in which the poet seems to be overheard in the midst of a prayer or confession. The resultant effect of these ambitious goals was a heightened respect for the professionalism of the poet; the choice of the precise word stood as an ever-present poetic goal. Nonetheless, the Dertigers continued to refine their language closer to the spreektaal, the "language of the people." While the descriptions of nature that characterized Tweede Asem poets remain, these depictions of the landscape are harnessed to attempts to create mood and atmosphere within the poet's own soul.1
The leading figures of the Dertigers are the brothers N. P. van Wyk Louw
and W. E. G. Louw, Uys Krige
, and Elisabeth Eybers
. Also associated with this movement are C. M van den Heever, and I. D. du Plessis
.
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...
-language South African poets who achieved new heights of eloquence in the young language's early decades of the 20th century.
The Dertigers arose after the Tweede Asem
Tweede Asem
The Tweede Asem is a phase within Afrikaans-language poetry that came in the wake of the zenith of Afrikaans poetry that described the sufferings of the Anglo-Boer War. The term also encompasses the work of the so-called Twintigers .The giants of the war era, such as such as Totius, Jan F. E....
("Second Breath") writers of the first decades of the 20th century; the year of 1934 is often selected as the breakthrough date for the Dertigers: W.E.G. Louw's Die ryke dwaas ("The Rich Fool") appeared in that year. The Dertigers strove to write a more emotionally intense, soul-baring poetry than their predecessors. They eschewed gentlemanliness and bourgeois convention in order to produce a more honest and intimate poetry.
A further aim of the Dertigers was the effort to achieve a literary greatness that would make its mark in world literature. In an attempt to express their humanity to the fullest, the poetry of the Dertigers has a confessional quality in which the poet seems to be overheard in the midst of a prayer or confession. The resultant effect of these ambitious goals was a heightened respect for the professionalism of the poet; the choice of the precise word stood as an ever-present poetic goal. Nonetheless, the Dertigers continued to refine their language closer to the spreektaal, the "language of the people." While the descriptions of nature that characterized Tweede Asem poets remain, these depictions of the landscape are harnessed to attempts to create mood and atmosphere within the poet's own soul.1
The leading figures of the Dertigers are the brothers N. P. van Wyk Louw
N. P. van Wyk Louw
Nicolaas Petrus van Wyk Louw , almost universally known as N.P. van Wyk Louw, was an Afrikaans-language poet, playwright, and scholar. He is the older brother of Afrikaans-language poet W.E.G. Louw.One of the Dertigers, or "Writers of the Thirties," N.P...
and W. E. G. Louw, Uys Krige
Uys Krige
Mattheus Uys Krige was a South African writer of novels, short stories, poems and plays in both Afrikaans and English. He was born in Bontebokskloof in the Cape Province and educated at the University of Stellenbosch.From 1931 to 1935 he lived in France and Spain, acquiring fluency in both...
, and Elisabeth Eybers
Elisabeth Eybers
Elisabeth Françoise Eybers , was a South African poet. Her poetry was mainly in Afrikaans, although she has translated some of her own work into English....
. Also associated with this movement are C. M van den Heever, and I. D. du Plessis
I. D. du Plessis
Izak David du Plessis, who published under the name I.D. du Plessis , is an Afrikaans-language writer. A successful writer in many genres, he is included among the Dertigers.1...
.