T.T. Cloete

T.T. Cloete (1924–2015) was an Afrikaans poet, playwright, Bible translator, essayist, critic, and academic.

He also wrote poetry and other works under the nom de plume of T. Jansen van Rensburg.

Biography

Born Theunis Theodorus Cloete in Vredefort in the Orange Free State,

Most of his working career was spent in the University of Potchefstroom's (now North-West University) School of Language and Literature.

Besides numerous academic publications, essays and criticism, he became involved in the revision of the Afrikaanse Kerkgesange in the 1970s and in the 1993 translation of the Bible. Important material (also on drama) is contained in collections he co-edited with various colleagues, such as Die Afrikaanse literatuur sedert sestig (with A.P. Grové, J.P. Smuts and Elize Botha, 1980), Gids by die literatuurstudie (with Elize Botha and Charles Malan, 1985) and Literêre terme en teorieë (with Hein Viljoen, Leon Strydom, Heilna du Plooy and Anne-Marie Bosschoff, 1992).

In 1980 he made his debut as poet under his own name with the collection Angelliera.

He died in Potchefstroom on 9 July, 2015.

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

Besides his contribution through his literary writing, he was the editor and co-editor of Vyfling (1966, an important collection of early Afrikaans one-act plays.

In 1986 his autobiographical play, Onderhoud met ’n Bobbejaan was shown to acclaim at the Kampustoneel festival in Pretoria and published.