Fiela’s Child

Read here about the book :”Circles in the Forest” and about “Big Foot”…

Afrikaans…scroll down….
Dalene Matthee was one of South Africa’s most talented authors, the best popular novelist that I know….. She wrote mainly in Afrikaans, but many of her books were translated into 14 other lanuages, such as Italian, Hebrew, Spanish, German, French, English, Icelandic, etc. Two of her books were filmed, “Fiela’s Child” and “Circles in the forest”…  Her first children’s novel…”Die Twaalfuur stokkie”… “The Twelve o’clock stick” was written in 1970. I LOVE this story and used to read the story to children in London-schools! They loved to listen to the Afrikaans Language and I explained the story via the pictures to them. It’s the best children’s story I’ve come across to explain to little children – age about 5-8 – the concept about time and the earth spinning around the sun… by using a stick in the sun. Read also about the memorial that was unveiled in Feb 2008 in honour of her!
Click HERE to read about Fiela’s Child, the movie.

Please click HERE to read about Dalene Matthee.

SA writers mourn Dalene Matthee
20/02/2005 21:20 – (SA)

Dalene Matthee – 1938-2005

Dalene Matthee dies 

Laetitia Pople , Die Burger

Cape Town – “Maybe she just held out until her new book, Die Uitgespoeldes, and its translation was done,” Dalene Matthee’s daughter Amanda said on Sunday after the author died in her sleep. The 66-year-old Matthee died in the Bayview clinic, Mossel Bay, early on Sunday morning. She was admitted to the clinic for heart failure on Thursday.

The death of Matthee – who was especially well known for her forest trilogy, of which the first, Kringe in ‘n Bos (Circles in a Forest, first appeared in 1984 and was reprinted 22 times – is being described as a huge loss for the Afrikaans reading public. “She was one of the most well-loved popular novelists in Afrikaans. “With her books such as Kringe, Fiela se Kind (Fiela’s Child), Pieternella van die Kaap and, more recently, Toorbos, she got the general Afrikaans public reading again, and she successfully bridged the gap between quality and popular literature,” said Eloise Wessels, chief executive of NB Publishers, on Sunday.

Novelist Elsa Joubert agrees. “She succeeded in getting people who never read Afrikaans to read in the language, and that’s been a wonderful contribution,” she says. The literary expert Wium van Zyl believes she was like Langenhoven.

“Like him, she had something to offer the intellectual reader and for the everyday reader. “She exposed the reader to various challenges. She was an ecologist and a mild feminist who considered the poor with attention and respect.”

If there’s someone whom the entire South African writers’ community mourns today, it would be Matthee, said Abraham H de Vries. “The voice of one of the best storytellers has fallen silent.“Only she could have written those forest stories – no one else could.”

Film-maker Katinka Heyns, who directed the movie based on the book Fiela se Kind, remembers how she spent two hours with Matthee in the Knysna forest. “The forest would tell Dalene if I may make the movie. She did not say a word and only sat listening. “And then I had to wait an enitre night before she gave the answer.”

Matthee was famous for the rigorous research she did for her books. She researched only her forest trilogy (Kringe, Fiela and Moerbeibos) for seven years, and Pieternella took three years’ research.

Matthee’s books were translated into 14 languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew and Icelandic. She won the ATKV prize for good popular fiction four times and was honoured with a Swiss literature prize for her “energetic literary work and her passionate interest in nature conservation” in Zurich in 1993. Die Uitgespoeldes is the story of Moses Swart, a foundling raised by an Afrikaans family after being found under a jacket on the beach. Matthee is survived by her three daughters, Amanda and Hilary Matthee and Toni van der Walt. Her husband, Larius, died two years ago.
Origninal news article HERE as it was reported in 2005.

The forest novels
Kringe in ‘n bos (Circles in a forest) (1984)
Fiela se Kind (Fiela’s Child) (1985)
Moerbeibos (The Mulberry Forest) (1987)
Toorbos (Dream Forest) (2003)

Other published works
Die twaalfuurstokkie (The twelve-o’-clock stick) (1970)
’n Huis vir Nadia (A House for Nadia) (1982)
Petronella van Aarde, burgemeester (Petronella van Aarde,Mayor) (1983)
Brug van die esels (The Day The Swallows Spoke) (1993)
Susters van Eva (Sisters of Eve) (1995)
Pieternella van die Kaap (Pieternella from the Cape) (2000)
Die Uitgespoeldes (Driftwood) (2005)

 Dalene Matthee Memorial

 

Wow! I was sent SANPARKS-link by a blogger-friend, Chris after he’s read my post about Dalene Matthee and I want to thank him as this is really fantastic!
Dalene Matthee Memorial Unveiled at Wilderness National Park
On Saturday, 23 February 2008, close family, a few selected SANParks officials and the press witnessed the unveiling of a memorial in honour of the late writer, Dalene Matthee. It was Matthee ’s fervent wish to have her ashes scattered in the Knysna Forest and her three daughters saw it as a fitting remembrance to their mom, to have a special memorial erected in the place Matthee so loved.

“After three years this project has fallen into place and the family will be eternally grateful to the Wilderness National Park staff for making it all happen”, says Hillary Matthee, the writer’s youngest daughter.

SANParks contribution included the building of a boardwalk around the memorial, the renaming the big tree to the Dalene Matthee Big Tree and the marking of a circular hiking trail to the “Circles in a Forest” trail. The memorial, tree and trail will now form part of the park’s cultural heritage programme.

Matthee based many of her books, especially Fiela’s Child, Circles in a Forest and Moerbeibos on the life and people of the forest. Her books have been translated into 14 languages.

Dignitaries at the unveiling ceremony included Mvusy Songelwa (Regional Manager of the Garden Route National Parks) who unveiled the memorial, Edgar Nevuvhalani (People and Conservation Cultural Heritage Manager) and Dr. Razeena Omar (Executive Director: People and Conservation), who befittingly mentioned what an honour it is for SANParks to house a memorial for a woman who has done so much to bring nature and the forests to the hearts of all people who read her books.

The memorial, Big Tree and the Circles in a Forest Trail is situated at the Krisjan se Nek picnic site in the Goudveld Forest (close to Knysna), which now forms part of the Wilderness National Park. Jill Gordon, Park Manager, encourages all and especially school groups to come and pay homage to Matthee and explore the beauty of the forests

 

(Circles in the forest)

(Pieternella from the Cape)

(The Mulberry forest)

Nou wil ek meer oor van haar boeke – en ander skrywers se boeke –  in Afrikaans se… omdat ek van dit self gelees het en self ook ‘n blibioteek-onderwyseres is – Ja, ek het vir 9 jaar uit 2 skole se mediasentrums klas gegee…wat ‘n wonderlike tyd!!! voordat ek na Gr3 oorgeplaas was….wat net so ‘n wonderlike tyd was! Duisende boeke aangekoop… die voorreg gehad om die skole se mediasentrum-begroting by Uitgewers te gaan spandeer! Dit was gewoonlik ‘n daguitstappie! Ek was dan by die skool opgelaai…ja! LOL! wat ‘n bederf…dan geneem na die uitgewer (hulle het my kom oplaai…want hulle het mos geld gemaak deur die skole!) en daar het ek die dag gespandeer, – Juta/Human&Rosseau…(glo nie hulle bestaan meer nie…?) boeke uitgesoek, bederf met tee/koekies… en dan is ek terug skooltoe geneem en die boeke was dan die volgende dag afgelewer… ai tog..waar is daardie dae! Dit was my voorreg om vir kinders boeke te kon kies…in my agterkop het ek altyd die kinders gehad en geweet vir wie ek die boeke kies..jy het altyd ‘n sekere kind wat jy met ‘n sekere boek assosieer en net geweet het wie gaan van wat hou. Jong, en daardie gebakleiery oor die boeke sodra dit uitgepak word, nog nuut uit die boks en hulle het dan gestry oor wie lees eerste watter boek..ja, natuurlik is daar dan sommer met die eerste klas ‘n waglys begin en die medialeiers was baie streng met hul waglyste, want baie wou almal lees en as daardie boek nie betyds kom afhaal was nie, was dit maar tiekets met jou en moes jy jou naam maar weer onderaan die lys kry!

So is die volgende  boeke dan van my  gunstelinge vir kinders ouderdom 11-15/16…dalk ouer ook! Die Sakmense!! – Deur Maretha Maartens!  Wat ‘n fantastiese boek!!! Miriam…ek onthou darem nog haar naam!! was ‘n meisie met ‘n donker gelaatskleur wie se familie onder “sakke” gebly het en groente/vrugte verkoop het om aan die lewe te bly… nou kan ek nie eers meer die hoofkarakter se naam onthou nie..in elk geval, sy was ‘n meisie met slegs een nier!! Sy het ‘n sakkie gehad in die plek van die tweede nier! Daarom die titel met ‘n tweeledige betekenis…”Sak+mense”… dis ‘n hartseer verhaal, maar dit leer jou ontsettend baie van die lewe wat so ‘n persoon het om te lei……. Miriam was nie veronderstel om te werk nie, nog minderjarig en daarom het sy ook gejok oor haar ouderdom, net om die werk te kry om die gesin te onderhou. ‘n Wonderlike boek wat ‘n MOET is…al is jy ‘n volwasse persoon…ek het die boek vir kinders voorgelees…om hul te prikkel…en ek kan onthou hoe ek gelees-huil het…waarlik ‘n boek wat enige persoon kan lees… Dan is daar “Potvol Winter“..wie onthou die  boek en die film? 

Die tweede boek is “Die Boemelaars“… ek het nooit die boek gelees nie, maar kan onthou dat die kinders nogal erg was oor die boek! “Plek van die dolfyne“…was gewild…en selfs “‘n Pakkie mieliepitte” ook!  “Die Inkvoel” is weer vir jonger kinders…so 8 -9 jaar…’n goeie boek! “Geagte mej Snob“… het ook heelwat kinders gelees, ook ‘n boek wat ek nog wou lees…

 

Voordat ek vergeet…kry bietjie van Marilee McCallighan se boeke om te lees…daar was ‘n boek…”Wedloop teen die wind!” – dit is ‘n boek vir kinders so 12-17 jaar…ek weet die boek was ook voorgeskryf vir ‘n sekere graad in die Hoerskool…so ‘n paar jaar gelede…dink dit was gr9 of gr10…nie meer seker nie…… Arno is die seun-karakter in die storie …kan ek onthou…sy pa was ‘n prokureur en hy was ‘n puik atleet…soos ek die storie kan onthou, het hy toe epileptiese aanvalle begin kry en moes hy na ‘n spesiale skool gaan, wat ‘n groot vernedering vir die pa en ma was…veral die ma! Hulle was gesiene mense in die omgewing en sy kon nie verwerk/aanvaar dat haar talentvolle seun dit moes oorkom en na so ‘n skool moes gaan nie. Dit is ‘n PUIK boek! Marilee is ‘n suster van een onderwyseres saam met wie ek skool gehou het in Centurion en ek het haar eendag skooltoe genooi om met die kinders te kom gesels…sy is ‘n wonderlike mens en die kinders – ek natuurlik ook – het daardie dag baie geniet… hulle het, soos gewoonlik, miljoene vrae gehad en almal wou skrywers word daarna! 🙂

Ek wens so ek het “Die twaalfuur stokkie”  – deur Dalene Matthee – die tweede keer toe ons hierheen gekom het, saamgebring, dan kon ek nou sy voorblad hier gescan het en opgelaai het!  Ek was gelukkig om ‘n nuwer uitgawe te kry, kleurvolle prentjies wat pragtig die teks ondersteun. Die kinders hier in London het nou regtig daardie boek baie geniet…

As jy nou regtig wil lag dat die trane loop…kry vir jou “Koningskind” deur Anita du Plessis…H&R was die uitgewers… en dit gaan oor ‘n Engelse bulhond…ek het my slap gelag saam met die kinders vir die hond en die boek is uit die oogpunt van die hond geskryf… Keiser.. was die hond se naam… dit was my eie boek wat ek altyd vir daardie laate 5 min van die periode gespaar het en ek kon partykeer nie lees, soos ek gelag het! veral die hoofstuk oor “kalkoene en kerk”…. Keiser het geglo hy moet die kalkoene oppas en soos hulle groter geword het, het hy geglo HY het hulle groter “gekyk”… kry die boek en lag ‘n bietjie… die orrel word in die hoofstuk “die gehuil” genoem… die dominee wat so preek en tekere gaan , het hy geglo wil die “gehuil” stil maak… en Keiser wou hom help!! hehehe…dis snaaks!!

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

 

Advertisements