Adam Small

(1936-) Poet, dramatist, and professor of philosophy and social work. Perhaps the most prominent “coloured” writer of the 1960-1970 period, he later rejected the label and for a while preferred writing in English and in the 1980s associated himself with the ideals of black consciousness and referred to himself as a black writer of Afrikaans. By the 1990s he returned to writing in Afrikaans. First made his name as a poet with the Afrikaans collection Kitaar my kruis ("Guitar my Cross", 1961) followed by Sê Sjibbolet (1963) and the English Bronze is Beautiful (1975). As a dramatist he wrote (and directed) a number of works for the Drama Society of the University of the Western Cape (DRAMSOC). The first was Gone Canada, written in 196*, rewritten to become one of the most famous and influential of Afrikaans plays: Kanna hy kô Hystoe ("Kanna Comes Home" - 1965, English 1990), which he orignally directed himself with the [Drama Society of the University of the Western Cape]] (DRAMSOC). Small was involved in founding the Cape Flats Players in 197* and the Peninsula Theatre in 198*. Small’s later works include Joanie Galant-hulle ("Joanie Galant and her people" - published 1978), The Orange Earth (1978), Die Krismis van Map Jacobs ("The Christmas of Map Jacobs" - A Nederburg commission for the Performing Arts Council of the Orange Free State, published 1983), What about the lô? (a programme of his poetry), Die Vyfde Evangelie ("The Fifth Gospel" - 19*) and ****. SMALL, Adam. His Kanna Hy Kô Hystoe was staged at the Alexander in 1974. Wilna Snyman starred in this play for which she received a best actress award. His first play in English, The Orange Earth was directed by Jo Dunstan and staged at Upstairs at the Market in 1978.

Small, regarded by many as one of South Africa’s leading playwrights in Afrikaans, was born in Wellington in 1936. His father’s family was Christian, and his mother’s family belonged to the Islamic faith. This is said to have instilled his sense of religious tolerance from an early age, and has also shaped the themes of his writing. Small moved to the Cape Flats with his family, where he was introduced to the Kaaps vernacular that he uses skilfully in his writings. Small graduated from UCT with a MA Cum Laude in Languages and Philosophy, and went on to lecture philosophy at the University of Fort Hare and UWC.

In the seventies he became involved with the Black Consciousness Movement and the student organisation SASO, leading protests that eventually led to his forced resignation. Small then moved to Johannesburg, where he worked at Wits, and returned to UWC as the head of the department of Social Work.

Small’s writing is focused on the plight of oppressed people under the apartheid system. His published plays include Kanna Hy Kô Hystoe (1965), Joanie Gallant-hulle (1978) and Krismis van Map Jacobs (1983). His poetry has been published in Verse van die Liefde, Culumborg (1957), Klein Simbool: Prosaverse (1958), Kitaar My Kruis (1961), Sê Sjibbolet, Perskor (1963), Oos Wes Tuis Bes: Distrik Ses (1973) (with photography by Chris Jansen) and Black Bronze Beautiful: quatrains (1975).

Sources

Tucker, 1997

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