Abel Coetzee

Abel Coetzee (1906-1975) was an academic, critic, author and poet.

Also referred to as Dr A.J.Coetzee in some publications.

Biography

Born Abel Jacobus Coetzee on 27 Mei 1906 on the farm Grootfontein near Lichtenburg, and after an itinerant youth, he completed his matriculation at the Heidelberg Volkskool. In 1924-5 he qualified as a teacher at the Heidelberg Educational College, then completed a B.A. degree at the University of the Witwatersrand (1927), followed by a B.A. Honours (1929), an M.A. (1930) and a doctorate in 1936. This was followed by a second doctorate from the University of Nijmegen.

In the middle of 1928 he was appointed in the Afrikaans department, initially as a temporary junior lecturer, began work as a lecturer and from 1930 onwards as a permanent member of staff.

After his return from the Netherlands he was appointed the director of the Buro vir Taal- en Volkskundige Navorsing ("Bureau for language and folklore research") at the University of the Witwatersrand and in 1947 he became the first incumbent of the newly created R.K. Fraay chair in Afrikaanse Taal- en Volkskunde, (language and folklore) a post he held till his retirement in 1966.

He was for many years chief editor of the Tydskrif vir Letterkunde.

He passed away on 19 June 1975

Contributions to South African theatre, film, media and performance

Theatre and drama

Besides reviews of published plays, he also compiled and edited the collection of one-act plays called Rooibruin Blare en Ander Eenakters (1968).

Radio

He wrote a number of radio pieces, including Uit my kontrei (broadcast 11 October 1956), Vol Korwe (28 January 1957) and Die Rooi Angelier (21 April 1959). He also contributed talks to a number of radio programmes, among them Woeling en Wording (1961), So Langs die Pad (1962) and Die Ossewa. A selection of these talks were published by the SABC in the collection Daar Kom die Wa (1966).