Willem Anker

Willem Anker (1979- ) is a South African playwright and academic.

Biography
Willem was born in Citrusdal and matriculated in Wellington. He is married to actress Christine Truter.

Training
Studied at the University of Stellenbosch (D.Litt in Afrikaans Literature, 2007)

Career
He teaches in the US Department of Afrikaans creative writing programme.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
His complex, literary yet visually arresting plays include Skroothonde (“Scrap metal dogs”, 2004 – Aardvark award), Sielsiek (“Mentally disturbed”, with Tertius Kapp, at Aardklop, 2006) and Slaghuis (“Slaughter house”, winner Sanlam Prize for Afrikaans Theatre, at Aardklop, 2006, published 2007).

He wrote the play Sakrament performed at the KKNK in 2009 and Skrapnel, staged at Aardklop 2009 and the Grahamstown Festival 2010. In 2012 his play Samsa-masjien was awarded an ATKV Woordveertjie award.

In 2007 also published a first novel, Siegfried  (Kwela Books)   and the novel Buys in 2014.

He is the translator of several plays.

Awards, etc
He won the Sanlam Prize for Slaghuis; ATKV Prize for Samsa-masjien; ATKV Prize for Skrapnel; UJ Prize for Siegfried.

He was awarded the Jan Rabie and Marjorie Wallace Bursary for Afrikaans Literature in 2011.

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