Tweede Asem
Encyclopedia
The Tweede Asem is a phase (ca. 1917-1934) 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 ("writers of the twenties").
The giants of the war era, such as such as Totius
, Jan F. E. Celliers
, or C. Louis Leipoldt
, having come more or less to terms with the past, began at this time to address topics such as religion or nature. Meanwhile, Eugene Marais
, while a contemporary of the war poets, stands out by his choice of material. Younger poets who emerged during this era are Toon van der Heever, A. G. Visser, H. A. Fagan, A. D. Keet, J. R. L. van Bruggen, and Theo Wassenaar.
As the Anglo-Boer War receded into the past, however, the conflict remained a topic, but became rather a vehicle for the depiction of romanticized history, rather than a personal crucible that required the expression of suffering. As a result, the Twintigers remained overshadowed by their predecessors. In addition, they fade in importance to the growing professionalism of the succeeding generation, the Dertigers
.
Nonetheless, the Twintigers can be credited with the development of the love poem and the cultivation of the nature poem in Afrikaans.1
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 poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
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 ("writers of the twenties").
The giants of the war era, such as such as Totius
Totius
Totius was the pen name of the Afrikaner poet Jacob Daniël du Toit .-Life:...
, Jan F. E. Celliers
Jan F. E. Celliers
Jan Francois Elias Celliers, almost universally known as Jan F.E. Celliers, but occasionally as Jan F.E. Cilliers was an Afrikaans-language poet, essayist, dramatist and reviewer....
, or C. Louis Leipoldt
C. Louis Leipoldt
Dr. Christian Frederik Louis Leipoldt was a South African poet, who wrote inthe Afrikaans language. Together with Jan F. E. Celliers and...
, having come more or less to terms with the past, began at this time to address topics such as religion or nature. Meanwhile, Eugene Marais
Eugene Marais
Eugène Nielen Marais was a South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer.- His early years, before and during the Boer War :Marais was born in Pretoria, the thirteenth and last child of his parents, Jan Christiaan Nielen Marais and Catharina Helena Cornelia van Niekerk...
, while a contemporary of the war poets, stands out by his choice of material. Younger poets who emerged during this era are Toon van der Heever, A. G. Visser, H. A. Fagan, A. D. Keet, J. R. L. van Bruggen, and Theo Wassenaar.
As the Anglo-Boer War receded into the past, however, the conflict remained a topic, but became rather a vehicle for the depiction of romanticized history, rather than a personal crucible that required the expression of suffering. As a result, the Twintigers remained overshadowed by their predecessors. In addition, they fade in importance to the growing professionalism of the succeeding generation, the Dertigers
Dertigers
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....
.
Nonetheless, the Twintigers can be credited with the development of the love poem and the cultivation of the nature poem in Afrikaans.1