‘n Storm het losgebars oor die Jan Rabie en Marjorie Wallace-beurs wat aan André Brink toegeken is.
Rapport het Sondag berig die Afrikaanse Skrywersvereniging meen ‘n “verdienstelike skrywer van kleur” sou dalk ‘n beter keuse gewees het. Die beoordelaar EKM Dido stem egter nie saam nie. Lees die berig hier:
Dit gons in die skrywersgemeenskap oor die toekenning van die grootste beurs vir Afrikaanse skryfwerk aan André P. Brink.
Die Jan Rabie en Marjorie Wallace-beurs van R350 000 word gefinansier uit die boedel van die kunstenaar Wallace en haar man, die skrywer Rabie.
Rabie is in 2001 oorlede en Wallace in 2005.
Dié testamentêre bemaking word deur die Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland (UWK) geadministreer en van vanjaar jaarliks toegeken.
Die rubriekskrywer Zelda Jongbloed het ook haar mening oor die beurs in Die Burger laat hoor. “Ek vind dit bra skandelik,’n onreg, mistasting, amper ’n misbruik, dat die beoordelingskomitee díe belangrikste letterkundeprys in jare aan so ’n gevestigde skrywer toegeken het.” Sy sê ‘n bruin skrywer moes nie noodwendig die beurs gekry het nie, maar wel ‘n skrywer wat “jong, jongerig, talentvol en opkomend” is. Lees haar rubriek hier:
Ek ken die skrywer André P. Brink nie persoonlik nie, maar het respek vir en bewonder hom as skrywer.
Maar ek kan dit skaars glo dat die Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland (UWK) toegelaat het dat die belangrike erflating van die kuns tenaars Marjorie Wallace en Jan Rabie na iemand soos Brink gegaan het. Brink is die eerste ontvanger van die Jan Rabie en Marjorie Wallace-beurs van R350 000, wat gefinansier word uit die twee kunstenaars se boedel. Op 75 is Brink al langer as 50 jaar ’n gevestigde skrywer en gee elke tweede jaar ’n boek uit, wat dikwels ook internasionaal vertaal word. Hoewel hy nie as een van die wêreld se grootste skrywers beskou word nie, hét hy internasionale statuur.
Ek vind dit bra skandelik,’n onreg, mistasting, amper ’n misbruik, dat die beoordelingskomitee díe belangrikste letterkundeprys in jare aan so ’n gevestigde skrywer toegeken het. Myns insiens kleef daar ietwat van ’n geurtjie aan die toekenning. En, asseblief, dit het niks met die persoon van Brink te doen nie.
Intussen het een van die beoordelaars op haar rubriek gereageer. Chris Barnard het op Die Burger se webtuiste geskryf dat daar vir Jan Rabie en Marjorie Wallace “nie so iets soos wit en bruin bestaan (het) nie. Vir beide was Afrikaans die enigste maatstaf.” Hy meen dit is in dié gees wat die beurs toegeken is. Lees sy reaksie hier:
Ek verwys na Zelda Jongbloed se artikel (DB, 7.12) oor die eerste Wallace/Rabie-skrywersbeurs aan André P. Brink.
Vir ’n gesoute en gerespekteerde joernalis maak Jongbloed haar skuldig aan ’n hele paar vreemde feitefoute en ongegronde aannames.
Nêrens in Wallace se testament is daar enige sprake van “bruin” of “wit” of “jonger” skrywers nie; daar word slegs verwys na “Afrikaanse skrywers”. En dis nie toevallig nie.
Terwyl die storm woed, gaan Brink voort met sy beoogde roman oor die slawevrou Philida. Brink het op LitNet gesê: “Daar was die simpel maar belangrike praktiese probleem dat ek met soveel finansiële en ander praktiese probleme gesit het dat ek amper nie die tyd gehad het om te skryf nie. Nou skep hierdie beurs die geleentheid om, soos die Woord sê, die tyd (letterlik) uit te koop.” Lees Shané Kleyn se onderhoud met die beurshouer hier:
In Die Burger word jy soos volg aangehaal: “Dié toekenning beteken vir my meer as enige ander wat ek nog gekry het.” Wat maak dit vir jou spesiaal?
Daar is heelwat redes. Om mee te begin, het dit gekom presies op die tydstip dat ek die idee vir die roman reg gehad het om te begin. Daar was egter die simpel maar belangrike praktiese probleem dat ek met soveel finansiële en ander praktiese probleme gesit het dat ek amper nie die tyd gehad het om te skryf nie. Nou skep hierdie beurs die geleentheid om, soos die Woord sê, die tyd (letterlik) uit te koop. En dis ’n wonderlike gevoel van innerlike ruimte. Voeg dan daarby dat die prys van Jan en Marjorie afkomstig is, twee vriende wat feitlik lewenslank vir my baie kosbaar is, met wie ek veertig jaar lank op soveel vlakke soveel kon deel. En dat UWK dit administreer, gee daar ook ’n bepaalde belangrike dimensie aan. Veral sedert Jakes Gerwel se tyd het ek ’n baie besondere gevoel vir UWK en die waardes en wêreld wat dit verteenwoordig. Dit sluit direk aan by die gegewe van die roman wat ek wil skryf. Op dié manier het alles net eenvoudig saamgewerk.
Foto te dank aan LitNet
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December 8th, 2009 @12:52 #
This Afrikaans language is way too hectic! I'd probably figure out more if it was in Spanish or Latin. No English links?
December 8th, 2009 @12:58 #
So far, the story doesn't appear to have attracted the notice of the English press. If I understand what's going on correctly, some people are saying Brink shouldn't have won the Wallace-Rabie grant (worth R350 000), because he is a well-known writer who can afford to write full time; they're saying the bursary should have gone to a deserving writer of colour, etc.
December 8th, 2009 @16:24 #
Baie dankie Ben :)
December 8th, 2009 @21:56 #
Ben, your summary is correct. It is very arrogant of Brink to even apply for a bursary, knowing full well that the intention of the bursary is to finance a contribution to Afrikaans literature. Brink has surely contributed enough already and by applying he is not contributing to developing voices for the future. The sad thing is now that it is known that Brink and other established writers applied for this bursary, lesser known and unpublished will refrain from applying. It is a sad indictment on the sorry state of Afrikaans literature. Worst of all, Brink has been unmasked as a vainglorious, egotistical git.
December 8th, 2009 @22:16 #
Methinks Emile has an agenda. Am not going to get into this, seeing as how my affection for Karina might render what I say suspect, but one thing that has crossed my mind is how delighted Jan and Marjorie must be (in whatever world they're in now) that their award has gone to such a treasured friend of theirs.
December 9th, 2009 @08:56 #
Everyone has the right to an opinion about this (as well as anything else), but pathetic namecalling takes this discussion into the gutter. Apart from my respect for Andre as a writer, every interaction I have had with him has furthered my impression of him as a humble man full of integrity. "Vainglorious egotistical git" - please, get over yourself.
December 9th, 2009 @16:48 #
Yes, namecalling is never helpful. It seems as though the administrators of the bursary did nothing wrong here if the terms of the award do indeed not specify that race or age should be taken into account as considerations.
However, I would have thought that the spirit of noblesse oblige would keep such well-established authors out of competitions like these. I would personally have preferred the award to go to a promising, needy writer at the beginning of his or her career.
December 9th, 2009 @17:28 #
Greetings from Joburg, where I've been on a day trip. Logging in quickly to second Mervyn's comment: it's fair to have an opinion; it's gross to insult. We do see the fur fly on our network from time to time (perhaps most recently with the rafts of Citizen Book Prize comments, which struck me in the main as infra dig), but cheap shots only do the commenters harm.
One might also point out that the award wasn't Brink's to decide. The giving of an prize can hardly be said to be the winner's fault.
December 9th, 2009 @19:54 #
Thank you, Ben, Mervyn, Helen, for your kind comments. I must, of course, stay out of this, but I would just like to remind everyone who is reflecting on this issue that the bursary was awarded according to a certain set of rules and that all of these rules were obeyed by all the people who were involved. (It's really unfair to insult Jan and Marjorie, the judges, the consultants, and the PROJECT - not a PERSON! - which they unanimously thought worthy of the bursary). If people did not like the rules and thought that the prize should have been awarded to a "promising, needy writer" (or "writer of colour", or "young writer", or whoever - there were many suggestions made) than they should have protested when the bursary was announced weeks ago.
Fiona, Would you forbid J.M. Coetzee's publishers to enter his books for the Booker?
December 9th, 2009 @20:34 #
Karina, I think there is a difference between the two cases. The Booker is a prize, which happens to have a financial component, that is awarded on merit for a completed work. This bursary is an award of financial assistance to allow the author to complete a project he/she is working on.
I don't think that the committee acted improperly in awarding the bursary - as I make clear in my above comment. But I do think it behoves well-established authors with glittering literary careers behind them to efface themselves from competitions of this nature, in order to give up-and-coming writers a chance.
Emile phrased his comment in highly offensive terms, but he's right that younger authors will be put off from entering this competition in the future. That seems a pity.
December 9th, 2009 @21:59 #
I think that young/old should not be the issue here, but quality.
The rules stated that all - established and beginning - authors are welcome to enter. 92 did - beginning and established! The judges made their choice. Why not be happy for André and look forward to the book he is writing, now without having to think about anything else but his project?
I don't understand why all of this is such an issue NOW. Why wasn't it when the rules of the bursary were announced weeks ago, and it was clearly stated that all - beginning and established - Afrikaans writers are welcome to enter? Why these protest and hurtful comments now?
It is not a crime to enter a competition if one is invited to...