Sheila Cussons
Encyclopedia
Sheila Cussons was an Afrikaans
poet
. She was born on the Moravia missionary station near Piketberg
, South Africa
, and studied fine arts at the University of Natal
in Pietermaritzburg
. She was one of the most important poets in Afrikaans, besides an accomplished painter and artist.
The poet D.J. Opperman was influential in her decision to write in Afrikaans, while N. P. van Wyk Louw
maintained prolonged correspondence with her, which they both considered as beneficial to their work. Nevertheless she always deemed herself to be a visual artist
in the first instance, and a poet second.
Publishing 11 volumes of poetry during her lifetime, she received the Ingrid Jonker Prize
(1970), the Eugène Marais prize (1971), the WA Hofmeyr Prize three times (1972, 1982 and 1991), the CNA Prize (1981), the Louis Luyt Prize (1982), and the prestigious Hertzog Prize
in 1983.
She died in 2004 at the age of 82, at Nazareth House, a Catholic institution in Vredehoek.
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
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...
. She was born on the Moravia missionary station near Piketberg
Piketberg
Piketberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. The original spelling of the name was "Piquetberg".The town is in the foothills of the Piketberg mountains, a range of low mountains formed from Table Mountain Sandstone....
, 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...
, and studied fine arts at 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...
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...
. She was one of the most important poets in Afrikaans, besides an accomplished painter and artist.
The poet D.J. Opperman was influential in her decision to write in Afrikaans, while 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...
maintained prolonged correspondence with her, which they both considered as beneficial to their work. Nevertheless she always deemed herself to be a visual artist
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
in the first instance, and a poet second.
Publishing 11 volumes of poetry during her lifetime, she received the Ingrid Jonker Prize
Ingrid Jonker Prize
The Ingrid Jonker Prize is a literary prize for the best debut work of Afrikaans or English poetry. It was instituted in honour of Ingrid Jonker after her death in 1965....
(1970), the Eugène Marais prize (1971), the WA Hofmeyr Prize three times (1972, 1982 and 1991), the CNA Prize (1981), the Louis Luyt Prize (1982), and the prestigious Hertzog Prize
Hertzog Prize
The 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...
in 1983.
She died in 2004 at the age of 82, at Nazareth House, a Catholic institution in Vredehoek.
Volumes of poetry
- Plektrum (1970) ("Plectrum")
- Die swart kombuis (1978) ("The black kitchen")
- Verf en vlam (1978) ("Canvas and flame")
- Donderdag of Woensdag (1978) ("Thursday or Wednesday")
- Die skitterende wond (1979) ("The brilliant wound")
- Die sagte sprong (1979) ("The soft pounce")
- Die somerjood (1980) ("The summer jew")
- Die woedende brood (1981) ("The angry loaf")
- Omtoorvuur (1982) ("Transforming fire")
- Verwikkelde lyn (1983) ("Complicated line")
- Membraan (1984) ("Membrane")
- Poems: a selection (1985) (A selection of poems translated by the poet herself)
- Die heilige modder (1988) ("The sacred mud")
- Die knetterende woord (1990) ("The sonorescent word")
- n Engel deur my kop (1997) ("An angel through my mind")(A selection of Sheila Cussons' religious poems compiled by Amanda Botha)
- Die asem wat ekstase is (2000) ("The breath that is ecstasy")(A selection of Sheila Cussons' non-religious poems compiled by Amanda Botha)
- Versamelde gedigte (2006) ("Complete poems")
As translator
- Die vorm van die swaard en ander verhale (1981) ("The shape of the sword and other stories") (Cussons' translations of short stories by Jorge Luis Borges)