Valley van verlatenheid Painting by Trienke Laurie click for enlargement

List of works Poem: Met apologie

Dirk Opperman painting by Philip Terblanche   Drawing by Bert du Plessis See also Artist's portraits of famous Stellenbosch Authors

Diederik Johannes Opperman was born on 29 September 1914 on the farm Geduld No2 near Dundee, Natal. He attended school in Estcourt and Vryheid. He studied at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg (MA, 1935, thesis: Die Afrikaanse kritiek tot 1922 ) and the University of Cape Town (DLit, 1953, thesis: Digters van Dertig).
1935: Teacher in Pietermaritzburg
1945: Teacher in Johannesburg
Opperman's first poetry book, Heilige beeste, published in 1945, was the beginning of a long and lustrous career as one of South Africa's greatest Afrikaans poets.
1946 - 1948: Journalist at Die Huisgenoot in Cape Town
From 1947: Co-editor of Standpunte
1949 - 1959: Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, University of Cape Town
In 1954 appeared, to great acclaim, Periandros van Korinthe. It is also South Africa's very first Afrikaans drama set in verse.
1956: Rembrandt bursary gives him the opportunity for extensive travels through Europe.
1960-1979: Professor of Afrikaans Literature at the University of Stellenbosch, where he introduced his famous Letterkundige Laboratorium, which he continued for one year after his retirement. 1980: extraordinary professor for one year.

In 1976 Dirk Opperman had a miraculous recovery from a liver decease which had kept him in a coma for nearly 7 months. He described his experiences in the poems in Komas uit 'n bamboesstok. In 1981, while working on Sonklong oor Afrika he suffered a debilitating stroke.
Dirk Opperman died on 22 September 1985 in Stellenbosch. He was married to the writer Marié van Reenen in 1942. They had three daughters: Heila, Trienke and Diederi.

Hobbies: Viniculture and Marine Biology

Doctor honoris causa:
1968 University of Natal, 1976 University of Stellenbosch, 1980 University of Cape Town and 1982 University of Pretoria

1956: Prize of the Drie-Eeue Stigting
In the sixties he became a Honorary Member of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde
1970: Diplôme d'Honneur du Prix de la Propagande
1979: KWV Award
1977: Diploma, União Brasileira de Escritores, Manaus

Versdramas:
Periandros van Korinthe, 1954
Vergelegen, 1956
Voëlvry, 1968

Literary Studies:
Die Afrikaanse kritiek tot 1922 (MA thesis)
Digters van Dertig, 1953, (PhD thesis)
Wiggelstok
Naaldekoker, 1974
Verspreide opstelle

Collaborator: Wêreldletterkunde, Die Skatkis

Anthologies:
Groot verseboek and compilations (extended edition by A. Brinck, Tafelberg, 2000)
Nuwe Kleuterverseboek
Skakering (Editors and compilers: DJ Opperman; GHJ Coetzee), Tafelberg, 1997
Senior Verseboek

See also: T.T. Cloete, Gids by D.J. Opperman Se Senior Verseboek

Joernaal van Jorik (Journal of Jorik), Roelof Temmingh's exceptional composition is based on the text of DJ Opperman. A CD was released by Die Vriende van Afrikaans in 2013.

C. M. van den Heever: O skemervloeiing van die najaarsee! Jou Sondagende branders plooi en val en langs twee meeue dwaal ek geweduwee maar ewig ruis om my die Al. I. D. du Plessis: My twee windhonde draf soos fezze langs die see; ek vra Ali en Allah af waar is meneer Viljee? W. E. G. Louw: Droef kyk my oë deur die trane heen, soos amandelbloeisels deur die eerste reën; ek rou oor die duine, my bleek hande waai, en ’n hond byt sy stert, soos hy draai, soos hy draai … N. P. van Wyk Louw I: O God! làngs U skríklike water stap die weduwee Viljee met dié weet: die waan en die waansin word later twee honde wat dráf waar sy trèe. N. P. van Wyk Louw II: Op ’n Sabbatmiddag (die dag is goed) lê la veuve de Villiers die heilige snol bo die boulevard (a) aars-e-lende om te kies effens be-swaard tussen twee kol-lies(te) Uys Krige: O wee, o wee, in swart geklee op'n Sondagmiddag loop die we- duwee Viljee met twee, net twee kolliehonde langs die see, die see, die see …

Elisabeth Eybers: Portret van ’n weduwee Sy staar na die blou are op haar hand terwyl sy in die Sondagmiddag wat neerskyn op die rustelose strand, geduldig sit of loop en peins: Nou dat die vreemde bloeisel van herinnering – skaars liefde, skaars geluk – nog vir haar bly sal sy uit hierdie aardse wisseling en haar verlies tog weer die sterkte kry. So het sy klaarheid in haar gees gevind en so geweet die middag langs die see sy sal aan die twee kinders wat haar bind haar hele lewe wy as weduwee; en word sy later weer deur een gevra wat sal sy vir hom antwoord: Nee of Ja? Ernst van Heerden: In lanferwimpels tree, haar wandelstok ’n swaard, die weduwee Viljee in grandiose vaart verby die sinderende kaai. Waarheen die bruingepeesde spiere, die slink en wulpse draai van haar kaniene diere? S. J. Pretorius: O Here! ek word so opgewonne as ek die arme honne so kaalpoot sien draf, maar wat kan ek, we- duwee Viljee, doen met my pullover en staf?

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