Eben Venter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eben Venter is an Afrikaans-speaking writer who was born in Burgersdorp in South Africa and has lived in Australia, Japan and the Netherlands. He published thirteen works of fiction (novels, short story collections and a cookbook). His works have been translated into English, Dutch and German.
Eben Venter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Burgersdorp, South Africa |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Notable awards | W.A. Hofmeyr Prize M-Net Literary Award |
He was awarded the M-Net Literary Award in 2010 for his book Santa Gamka.
Life
Venter was raised on a farm in Eastern Cape.[1] He went to Grey College in Bloemfontein[2] before he was conscripted into the air force and served on the Angolan border. He obtained an MA in Philosophy and worked as a journalist in Johannesburg before leaving South Africa in 1986, during the State of Emergency.[1] He went to Australia where he worked as a chef in his sibling's café.
In 2005, Venter taught at Adam Mickiewicz University and Palacky University before becoming a writer-in-residency at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in 2007.[3]
On August 4, 2010, Venter was nominated for the M-Net Literary Award in the Afrikaans category for his book Santa Gamka.[4]
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University awarded him as an alumni achiever in November 2011.[3] In 2012, he was writer-in-residence at Rhodes University.[1] In 2018, Venter released his first book created in English instead of Afrikaans titled Green as the sky is blue.[5]
List of titles
- 1986 Witblitz
- 1993 Foxtrot van die vleiseters, translated into German by Stefanie Schäfer (Burenfoxtrott) and Dutch by Riet de Jong-Goossens (Dans aan het einde van de dag)
- 1996 Ek stamel, ek sterwe, translated into English by Luke Stubbs (My Beautiful Death) and Dutch by Riet de Jong-Goossens (Ik stamel ik sterf)
- 1999 My simpatie, Cerise
- 2000 Twaalf
- 2003 Begeerte
- 2006 Horrelpoot, translated into English by Luke Stubbs (Trencherman)
- 2009 Santa Gamka
- 2010 Brouhaha
- 2013 Wolf, Wolf, translated into English by Michiel Heyns
- 2017 Groen soos die hemel daarbo, translated into English (Green as the sky is blue) by the author
- 2023 Decima, translated into Afrikaans by the author
Awards
- 1994 Media24 Books Literary Awards (WA Hofmeyr Prize) – Foxtrot van die vleiseters
- 1996 Media24 Books Literary Awards (WA Hofmeyr Prize) – Ek stamel, ek sterwe
- 2004 Media24 Books Literary Awards (WA Hofmeyr Prize) – Begeerte
- 2010 Media24 Books Literary Awards (WA Hofmeyr Prize) – Santa Gamka
- 2010 M-Net Literary Awards – Santa Gamka
