Ludwig Binge

(1919-1966) Academic, journalist, critic and theatre historian. Born in the district of Potchefstroom on 20 February 1919, he finished his schooling at Jan Van Riebeeck High School in Cape Town. Complete a BA and MA (in Afrikaans and Dutch literature on the "Afrikaans Professional Theatre") at the University of Cape Town, to be followed by a doctoral study on the development of the Afrikaans theatre from 1832-1950 at the University of Cape Town under the initial supervision of Dr F.C.L Bosman, later completed at the University of Pretoria with Prof M.S.B. Kritzinger as promotor in 1960. His secondary subjects were the history of the Dutch theatre (1850-1950) and the development of directing in Europe. On completing the MA he initially joined the State Translation Bureau in Pretoria, while studying German Classical Drama at the University of Pretoria, and being a part-time contributor on drama to both Die Burger and Die Transvaler. In 1945 he joined the staff of Die Burger as its drama critic. In 1949 he became the first South African Information Attaché at the Embassy in the Netherlands. On his return in 1955 he went to South West Africa (now Namibia) where he was elected to the "Wetgewende Vergadering" (parliament) as representative of Keetmanshoop. In 19** he joined the management of National Theatre Organisation in Pretoria, whose service he left in 1961, to become a travelling organiser for the SA Art Society, before returning to journalism in the same year to become the arts editor of Die Transvaler and later briefly worked for Die Vaderland. His health deteriorated however and he died of a hart attack on 15 May 1966 while working on preparations for that year's Republic Festival. Besides his many articles and reviews, his major contribution to South African theatre studies, Die Ontwikkeling van die Afrikaanse Toneel (1832-1950) - the manuscript of his doctoral thesis - was posthumously prepared for publication by F.C.L Bosman, and published by Van Schaik in 1969 (reprinted in paperback, 1978) and became a standard handbook in theatre studies in South Africa.

Sources

See Bibliography section for his writings.

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