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Anker and Viljoen receive awards from the SA Academy of Science and Arts
Author: Lelanie de Roubaix
Published: 10/10/2016

The council of the SA Academy of Science and Arts awarded a number of big prizes earlier this year, and Dr Willem Anker and Prof Louise Viljoen of the Afrikaans and Dutch Department were among the winners.

For his novel Buys: 'n Grensroman, Dr Anker was awarded the prestigious Hertzog prize, which is named after General JBM Hertzog and is the most well-known and prestigious award in the Afrikaans literary world. The prize is awarded for original literary work in Afrikaans and is awarded annually for poetry, drama and prose respectively. 

Buys also received the University of Johannesburg prize for best creative work, the kykNET Rapport Book Prize for fiction and the WA Hofmeyr Prize for Afrikaans fiction last year. Dr Anker also received a Fleur du Cap award in March for his play Samsa-masjien in the category Best New South African Script. Samsa-masjien won Fleur du Cap awards in the categories for best actor (Gerben Kamper), best original musical score (Pierre-Henri Wicomb), best set design (Jaco Bouwer) and best director (Jaco Bouwer) as well. The play has received various other awards, too, including an Absa KKNK Kanna award for innovative work and an ATKV Woordveertjie for drama.

The SA Academy awarded the Gustav Preller Prize for literary studies and literary criticism to Prof Louise Viljoen, well-known literary critic and lecturer in Afrikaans literature. Her book Die mond vol vuur: Beskouings oor die werk van Breyten Breytenbach, published in 2014, was well received in literary circles and is an impressive addition to an oeuvre dedicated to Afrikaans literature and literary figures. Her other books include a volume of essays on the work of Antjie Krog and a biography of Ingrid Jonker.