On 17 September 1999, South African poet, painter and activist, Breyten Breytenbach, received the Hertzog Prize for his two Afrikaans poetry volumes, an elegy entitled Oorblyfsels: ‘n roudig and Papierblom (Paper flower).
The ceremony was held at the University of Pretoria. The Hertzog prize is named in honour of General JBM Hertzog, former premier of the Union of South Africa and a champion of the Afrikaans language.
The prize was sponsored by Rapport, an Afrikaans Sunday newspaper.
In 1960, Breytenbach left South Africa, settling in Paris in 1962 with his Vietnamese wife, Yolande Ngo Thi Hoang Lien.
He returned to South Africa on a false passport in 1975 and was arrested, charged under the Terrorism Act and jailed for seven years.
After his release, he returned to Paris, where he obtained French citizenship.
He writes his poetry mainly in Afrikaans and his prose works in English and divides his time between Europe, South Africa and the USA.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
