D F Malherbe
1881 -- 1969

Author of novels, plays and poems

Daniël François Malherbe was born on 28 May 1881, on the farm Kleinbosch in Daljosafat near Paarl. He studied at Victoria College in Stellenbosch (BA 1902). He continued his education in Germany (1902-1906), where he studied German, French and English in Halle and Freiburg. In 1906 he obtained a Dr phil, magna cum laude, with the thesis: Das Fremdwort im Reformationszeitalter.
Back in South Africa, he joined the Tweede Taalbeweging (the second language movement) to fight for the recognition of Afrikaans as a written language and gave a famous speech at Wellington: Is Afrikaans 'n dialek?
He lectured at teachers' colleges in Wellington and Stellenbosch and was head of the school at Carnavon (1907-1909). In 1910 he became professor of Modern Languages (Dutch, German, French) at the Grey-University College in Bloemfontein and, in 1918, the very first professor of Afrikaans of a South African university, (but also still teaching modern languages until 1928). He was Rector of Grey-Universiteitskollege from 1929 until 1934 and retired to be a full-time writer in 1941. He was editor of Tydskrif vir Wetenskap en Kuns (1922-1939) and wrote book reviews and essays for various journals and newspapers including Die Brandwag, Die Nuwe Brandwag and Die Huisgenoot.
D F Malherbe died on 12 April 1969, at Bloemfontein

Awards and Honours:
Hertzog Prize for prose 1926, 1930 and 1939
Academy Award 1933
Stals Prize for Linguistics 1959
Honorary member of SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns 1963
F.A.K. Honorary Award 1968
Doctor honoris causa, University of South Africa (Unisa)
On the occasion of Malherbe's 60th birthday his colleagues and students dedicated a book to him, D F Malherbe, die mens en sy kuns.

Poetry: Karoo blommetjies Klokgrassies 1914 Vir vryheid (epical poem) 1916 In rivier en veld 1922 Somerdae 1928 Brood op die weg 1939 Novels: Vergeet nie 1913 Die meulenaar 1926 Hans-die-Skipper 1929 Loutervure 1931 Bybelromans: Hart van Moab 1933, Saul die worstelheld 1935 and Die profeet 1947 Trekkertriologie: Die bergstroom ruis 1940, Vlam van die suurveld 1943 and En die wawiele rol 1945 Spore van Vleiland 1947 Die skeur van vaalspruit 1952

Plays: Meester 1917 Koringboere 1921 Die mense van Groenkloof 1925 Op die trekpad1931 Die seeman (adaptation of Hans-die-Skipper) 1933 Die meul dreun (adaptation of Die meulenaar) 1943 Amrach, die tollenaar 1935 Moeder en seun 1945 Abimelech 1948 Die uur van die rooi maan en ander eenbedrywe 1950 Hulle het 'n boom afgekap 1953 Sisera 1958 Translations: Die skoonseun van meneer Poirier 1919, Wilhelm Tell (Schiller) 1944, Koopman van Venesië (Shakespeare) 1949

Academic books and compilations:
Afrikaanse taalboek 1917, Afrikaanse letterkunde 1922, Afrikaanse verse I 1935, Afrikaanse verse II 1938, Afrikaanse Spreekwoorde en verwante vorme 1925