Antjie Krog

Author

Antjie Krog was born into a family of writers; her mother was the Afrikaans poet Dot Serfontein. She grew up on a farm in Kroonstad, Orange Free State. Her literary career began in 1970 when, at the height of John Vorster’s apartheid years, she wrote an anti-apartheid poem titled “My mooi land” (My beautiful country) for her school magazine. The poem opened with the line, “Kyk, ek bou vir my ‘n land / waar ‘n vel niks tel nie” (I’m building myself a country where skin colour doesn’t matter). Antjie’s first volume of poetry, “Dogter van Jefta” (Daughter of Jephta), was published shortly afterwards, while she was still just seventeen. “My mooi land” was later translated by Ronnie Kasrils and published in the January 1971 issue of Secheba, the official publication of the African National Congress (ANC) in London. ANC stalwart Ahmed Kathrada reportedly read the poem aloud after his release from Robben Island.

Antjie has a BA (Hons) from the University of the Orange Free State (1976), an MA in Afrikaans from the University of Pretoria (1983), and a teaching diploma from the University of South Africa.