Crowned Lapwing By Jill Adams | Poems: Nuus uit die binneland Aftelrympie |
1925-1990
Peter Emil Julius Blum was born on 4 May 1925 at
Vienna, Austria.
When, as a twelve year old, he arrived in South Africa, he already spoke
several
languages. He attended school in Durban and Johannesburg and studied at the
universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town.
From 1949 he worked as a librarian in Cape Town and later in Kroonstad, where
his undemanding duties and the "backwoods" life bored him stiff. Fortunately, he
enjoyed nature and birdwatching.
In 1955 Peter married Henrietta Cecilia Smit, an art teacher in Stellenbosch.
Peter Blum published several reviews and articles and earned literary
recognition for his poetry. In 1956 he was awarded the Reina Prinsen Geerligs
Prize for Steenbok tot poolsee.
He also wrote book reviews for Die Burger and made some important translations into Afrikaans from several languages,
including French (works of Apollinaire, Anouilh and Baudelaire). Among his
satirical prose, his best known essay, Hoe ek dekadent geword het, appeared in Standpunte (October 1956). It is his answer to moralising reactions to his first
collection of poetry. Here he parodies some of the writers concerned.
In spite of the fact that important personalities like Dirk Opperman and Van
Wyk Louw greatly admired his erudition and talent, Peter Blum was not accorded
South African citizenship. Bitterly disappointed, he turned away from Afrikaans
and Afrikaans culture in 1960 and settled with his wife in London.
He died there on 5 December 1990.
Hy het Suid-Afrika verlaat - en daarmee het die Afrikaanse literatuur in die besonder en die Suid-Afrikaanse geesteslewe as sodanig een van sy grootste talente en speurendste intellekte verloor.
As digter lei Blum, in teenstelling tot die meeste van sy tydgenoete wat blote epigone van Opperman is of sterk in die ban van sy digkuns verkeer, 'n nuwe tradisie in die Afrikaanse poësie in en is hy die sterkste en selfstandigste nuwe digter van die vyftigterjare.
J C Kannemeyer
Works about Peter Blum
Kannemeyer, J.C., Geskiedenis van die Afrikaanse Literatuur Band 2, H&R-Academica, 1983
J C Kannemeyer, Wat het geword van Peter Blum?, 1993
Briewe van Peter Blum, (Geredigeer en ingelei deur J C Kannemeyer), 2009
Kannemeyer, J.C., Die Afrikaanse literatuur, Human & Rousseau, 2005
Nuus uit die binneland Vir Dirk Opperman Soms in die winter as die reën sag stuif Soms in 'n najaarsdag se skemerty Maar as die bergwind so rukkerig waai | Aftelrympie My plaas se naam is Kleinbegin: My plaas se naam is L'Avenir: My plaas se naam is Vyandsvlei: My plaas se naam is Skoongesig: My plaas se naam is Rusmysiel: My plaas se naam is Vredendal: My plaas se naam is Luiperdkom: My plaas se naam is Nooitgedag: My plaas se naam is Droëbult: My plaas se naam is Moedverloor: My plaas se naam is Kansverbeur: Allesverloren is my plaas: |