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Louis Esterhuizen

Louis Esterhuizen

Afrikaans poet and author of several poetry books
Louis has enriched Stellenbosch's cultural scene by arranging writers' presentations of their work.

Poem: Die grond het liefgehad   Photos of the launch of his book

Louis Esterhuizen was born on 30 August 1955, in Welkom (Free State). He matriculated from High School Hentie Cilliers (Virginia) in 1973 and studied at the University of the Orange Free State from 1974 to 1978 (BA and HDE). He furthered his studies through UNISA (BA Hons in 1983).
A number of his poems have been published on the internet and can be found at the websites of
Meander, De Salon, De gekooide roos and LitNet.
His poems have also been included in a number of anthologies - for example:
Groot Verseboek 2000 (André Brink), Die Afrikaanse po ësie in 'n duisend en enkele gedigte (Gerrit Komrij) and Nuwe Verset (Dani ël Hugo, et al).
Louis Esterhuizen is also a founder member of the popular Bekgevegte/ Poetry Slams and organizes readings by authors of books at Protea Bookshop.
He was Head of Afrikaans at Rondebosch Boys High School and Head of Sport at Bridge House School. Louis is now Manager of Protea Bookshop in Stellenbosch. In 2009 he initiated, together with Marlise, Versindaba.co.za, the Afrikaans poetry website.
Louis is married to the poet, Marlise Joubert and has two sons from a former marriage. Louis and Marlise live in Stellenbosch.

Hobbies: Chess, squash and cricket

Favourite books: The poetry of Herman de Coninck, Paul Snoek, Rutger Kopland and Yehuda Amichai as well as the Eastern European poets, specifically the poetry of Tadeussz Rozewics, Miroslav Holub and Zbigniew Herbert.

Favourite quote: "Poetry is a spot about half-way between where you listen and where you wonder what it was you heard." (Carl Sandburg)

Protea Prize 2011 for Wat die water onthou

Books:

H&R = Human & Rousseau: Wat die water onthou

Stilstuipe, H&R, 1986
Op die oog af, H&R, 1988
Die Onderwaterweg, H&R, 1996
Patzers, H&R, 1997
Opslagsomer, H&R, 2001
Liefland , Protea Boekhuis, 2004
Versindaba 2005, (compiler), Protea Boekhuis, 2005
Sloper, Protea Boekhuis, 2007
Wat die water onthou, Protea Boekhuis, 2010
Amper elders, Protea, 2012

* * *

"Die grond het liefgehad
voor dit land was, nog voor
'n hand onpeilbaar blou
iewers

na vore gestrek het
om ons in klip en sand en stof
in te kerf, met gras en bloed"

[Uit: "Elegie vir die vaderland", deel vii]




Most text by Louis Esterhuizen, 2001/09, photo found at Versindaba

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