Jeanne Goosen

Jeanne Goosen (1937-2020) was an Afrikaans journalist, writer and playwright.

Biography

Born Jeanette Helena Goosen on 13 July 1938 in Parow, Cape Town, she attended Parow High School and studied radiography at the University of Cape Town. Obtained her licentiate in piano at Unisa and she also plays the clarinet.

She has followed a variety of careers, among others radiographer, farmer, fisher, and perhaps most noticeably journalist at a range of Afrikaans daily papers such as Oggendblad, Hoofstad and Die Transvaler and the Natal paper Tempo. By 2014 she was a regular columnist for By, a supplement to Die Burger and Beeld.

Goosen is one of the most versatile writers in Afrikaans, with poetry (’n Uil vlieg weg), novels (Ons is nie almal so nie), novellas (Wie is Jan Hoender?), short stories (’n Kat in die Sak), plays (Kombuis-Blues) and cabaret.

She published her first volume of poetry ’n Uil vlieg weg in 1971, but it is above all for her award-winning book Ons is nie almal so nie that made her famous. This book was awarded the CNA Prize, the Rapportprys'' and M-Net Prize . André P. Brink translated Ons is nie almal so nie into English as We're not all like that.

Poetry: ’n Uil vlieg weg (1971); Orrelpunte (1975); Elders aan diens (2007).

Prose: ’n Uil vlieg weg (novella, 1975 ); ’n Kat in die sak (short stories, 1986); Louoond (novella, 1987); Ons is nie almal so nie (novel, 1990); o.a. Daantjie Dromer (novel, 1992); ’n Gelyke kans (short stories, 1995); Wie is Jan Hoender? (novella, 2001); Straataf (short stories, 2001); 'n Pawpaw vir my darling (novel, 2002); Elders aan Diens (poetry, 2007) and Plante kan praat (short stories,2010)

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Three one-act plays: Drie eenakters: Kombuis-Blues; Kopstukke; ’n Koffer in die Kas (1992)

Her plays and cabarets based on her work are still performed with great success. Among the latter have been Dalk is ons almal só ("Perhaps we are all like that", 2001), a compilation of Goosen's work by Susanne Beyers and Joanie Combrink and Jeanne Goosen - Elders aan Diens ("Jeanne Goosen - Employed elsewhere", 2008) compiled and directed by Albert Maritz.

Awards, etc

Kombuis-Blues received the Vita Award with Trudie Taljaard in the leading role and Sandra Prinsloo as director. It was performed nationwide as well as in London, Frankfurt, Brussels, Leuven en The Hague.

Awards include: CNA Prize (1990) for the novel Ons is nie almal so nie; Rapport Prize (1990) for Ons is nie almal so nie; M-Net Prize (1991) for Ons is nie almal so nie; Rapport Prize (1992) for Drie Eenakters; Afrikaans Onbeperk Award from the KKNK in (1998) for Ons is nie almal so nie (novel), in 1992 for o.a. Daantjie Dromer (novel), in 1995 for ’n Gelyke kans (short stories), in 2001 for Wie is Jan Hoender? (novella), in 2001 for Straataf (short stories), in 2002 for ’n Pawpaw vir my darling (novel)...