Chris van der Merwe

Chris van der Merwe is an Emeritus Professor of the University of Cape Town,

Also known as Chris N. van der Merwe or C.N. van der Merwe.

Biography

Born Chris Norden van der Merwe in Wellington in the Western Cape, on 12 March, 1944, he completed his in 1961 at the Hugenote Hoërskool, Wellington. He then went to the University of Stellenbosch, where he completed a BA (majoring in Afrikaans and Nederlands and English), followed by a BA Honours (1965) and an MA (1967), both in Afrikaans and Nederlands).

In 1970 he completed a doctorandus in Dutch language and literature at the University of Utrecht (cum laude) and finally, in 1976 completed a D.Litt. et Phil. degree at the Rand Afrikaans University with a thesis on the theatrical work of the Belgian playwright, film-maker and novelist Hugo Claus.

His teaching career began while a student at Stellenbosch, when he became an assistant to the lecturers Meyer de Villiers (1965) and D.J. Opperman (1966-1967), then acting lecturer in the place of Opperman (1968). His next appointment was at the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) as a lecturer in Afrikaans (1971-75), at which point he went to the University of Cape Town (UCT) as a lecturer, seniotr lecturer and Associate Professor, to teach theory of literature and Afrikaans and Dutch literature for almost forty years, till his retirement in 2009.

Living in a deeply divided and troubled country, much of his research focused on literary narratives and trauma, and on literature and spirituality.

Married to Bibie de Villiers and the couple have two children, Amelia, a psychologist and Marelise, a journalist.