Dalene Matthee
Dalene Matthee (1938–2005) was a popular and award-winning South African novelist.
Contents
Biography
Her writing
Best known for her four "Forest Novels" written in and around the Knysna Forest:
- Kringe in 'n Bos (Circles in a Forest) (1984)
- Fiela se Kind (Fiela’s Child) (1985)
- Moerbeibos (The Mulberry Forest) (1987)
- Toorbos (Dreamforest)(2003)
Her books have been translated into fourteen languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew and Icelandic, and over a million copies have been sold worldwide. [1]
Adaptations
Kringe in 'n Bos (Circles in a Forest)
Kringe in 'n Bos was adapted for screen in 1990 with Arnold Vosloo cast in the lead role of Saul Barnard.
Fiela se Kind (Fiela’s Child)
Stage versions
- A dramatised stage version of the book, called Hanskind van die Bos was also written and directed by Abraham Jansen and performed by the Heidram in Bloemfontein (1986).
- The novel was dramatised by Suzanne van Wijk with the same title (1986).
- Carl van Wyk's folk opera Fiela se kind, set to an English libretto by Andries van der Walt (1990).
- A musical version was created by Ian von Memerty and titled Fiela’s Child - The Musical (1999).
Film versions
Fiela se Kind was adapted for film twice:
- in 1988 (directed by Katinka Heyns)
- in 2019 (directed by Brett Michael Innes)
Toorbos (Dreamforest)
In 2019, Rene van Rooyen's film adaptation of Matthee's novel, Toorbos (Dreamforest), was released.
Writing for radio
Her radio drama, n Mens Weet Nooit was recorded and broadcast by the visually impaired staff and students of Innovation Radio in Worcester during 2023.
Sources
Tucker, 1997
Email submission sent by Taryn Tavener-Smith on 12 November 2024.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalene_Matthee
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