Die Byl refers to two titles:

Die Byl ("The Axe") a one-act play by C. Louis Leipoldt (1880–1947).

The original text

Set in the Cape Colony of the 1650s, where Cape Governor Jan van Riebeeck and his men become aware of a murder that has been committed in the settlement. The central figure, an Englishman at the Cape who had acted as executioner to behead Charles I, never appears on stage, but his story is revealed in a conversation of between three people. To build up the tension, the conversation is constantly interrupted in various ways.

Unpublished during the author's life, the play was included in the collection Vier Uitgesoekte Eenbedrywe by F.C. L. Bosman, and published by Afrikaanse Pers-Boekhandel in 1949.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

No performance on record to date.

Sources

https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Louis_Leipoldt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Louis_Leipoldt

Go to ESAT Bibliography

Die Byl a TV series (2016-2024)

The original text

The series, based on real detective Piet Byleveld, follows the life and work of Piet van Bijl (colloquially referred to as Die Byl , i.e. "the axe"), a brilliant sleuth who specialises in tracking down serial killers.

Produced by Elmarie Botha for Lion's Head Productions, written and directed by a range of individuals, it features a huge cast of South African actors, with Waldemar Schultz as "Die Byl". (See the IMDb website for details)[1]