Bladspieel (Afrikaans, Paperback)

Reviews

"lovely collection" by Judy Croome | @judy_croome - 29 July 2015

My Afrikaans is rusty but I still enjoyed this volume of poetry. From the powerful "So is dit nou" with its melancholy undertone to the pragmatic acceptance of a life changed in an instant to the delightful poems to her grandchildren, the poet draws the reader in. Her vivid descriptions of everyday life are underpinned with deeper emotions ("verloop"), but the volume also embraces wider issues ("treursang" written on Nelson Mandela's death.) I'm sure I missed a lot of the nuances, as always when reading translations or in a language that is not one's mother tongue, but the poetry was strong enough for me to still enjoy it. The cover art, drawn by the poet Marlise Joubert, is stunning.