Dalene Matthee
Dalene Matthee (1938–2005) was a popular and award-winning South African novelist.
Biography
Her writing
Best known for her four "Forest Novels" written in and around the Knysna Forest:
- Kringe in 'n Bos (Circles in a Forest) (1984)
- Fiela se Kind (Fiela’s Child) (1985)
- Moerbeibos (The Mulberry Forest) (1987)
- Toorbos (Dreamforest) (2003)
Her books have been translated into fourteen languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew and Icelandic, and over a million copies have been sold worldwide. [1]
Adaptations
Kringe in 'n Bos (Circles in a Forest)
Stage version
Kringe in 'n Bos was adapted for the stage by Peet van Rensburg (described as a "retelling" of the story) (1987).
Film version
Kringe in 'n Bos was adapted for screen in 1990 with Arnold Vosloo cast in the lead role of Saul Barnard.
Fiela se Kind (Fiela’s Child)
Stage versions
- A dramatised stage version of the book, called Hanskind van die Bos was also written and directed by Abraham Jansen and performed by the Heidram in Bloemfontein (1986).
- The novel was dramatised by Suzanne van Wijk as Fiela se Kind (1986).
- Carl van Wyk's folk opera Fiela se Kind, set to an English libretto by Andries van der Walt (1990).
- A musical version was created by Ian von Memerty and titled Fiela’s Child - The Musical (1999).
Film versions
Fiela se Kind was adapted for film twice:
- in 1988 (directed by Katinka Heyns) (Matthee also played a minor role in the film)
- in 2019 (directed by Brett Michael Innes)
Toorbos (Dreamforest)
Stage version
Corlia Fourie's English translation of the novel (The Magic Forest) adapted for the stage as a children's play by Pieter Mulder (2020).
Film version
In 2019, Rene van Rooyen's film adaptation of Matthee's novel, Toorbos (Dreamforest), was released.
Writing for radio
Her radio drama, n Mens Weet Nooit was recorded and broadcast by the visually impaired staff and students of Innovation Radio in Worcester during 2023.
Sources
Tucker, 1997
Email submission sent by Taryn Tavener-Smith on 12 November 2024.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalene_Matthee
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0559882/?ref_=tt_ov_2_2
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