FRANCOIS ALWYN VENTER - FA VENTER (MEIRING FOUCHE, ELSKE TE WATER, RENE STEGMANN, MARIUS DE JONG)
FA Venter is ’n Hertzog-pryswenner vir literatuur en prosa. Hy is in Hopetown gebore en gradueeer in 1938 aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch. Die jong FA Venter se skryftalent is vroeg reeds as joernalis waarneembaar en hy skryf ʼn reeks boeke en gedigte wat die Afrikaanse leser diep raak, onder ander sy seminale werke Wit oemfaan, Die middag voel na warm as, Swart Pelgrim, Kambro-kind, Man van Ciréne en Geknelde Land.
FA Venter skryf verder avontuurverhale vir jonger lesers, onder die byname Meiring Fouchè, Elske te Water, Renè Stegmann en Marius de Jong. In sy later jare boer FA Venter in die Kenhardt-distrik en op die plaas Cirène, net buite Vredendal in die Olifantsriviervallei. Dié geëerde en gevierde skrywer bring sy laaste jare in Strand deur en ontvang ook ander belangrike toekennings vir sy werk, onder andere die Ruitertrofee van die Suid-Afrikaanse Federasie van Rapportryerskorpse, die Andrew Murray prys en ʼn ere-doktorsgraad aan die Universiteit van Port Elizabeth. Hy sterf in 1997.
Francois Alwyn Venter (27 November 1916 - 8 July 1997) was a prominent Afrikaans writer of the 20th century. His novels explored biblical religious themes or cultural identities in the South African context. He was born in Hopetown and grew up on his parents' farm in the Britstown district. He studied at theUniversity of Stellenbosch and commenced a career as journalist in 1938. For 25 years he worked as a journalist in Cape Town, Pretoria, Windhoek and Johannesburg. He also wrote popular fiction, under the pseudonyms Meiring Fouché, Elske te Water, René Stegmann and Marius de Jongh.
F.A. Venter received the Hertzog Prize for prose in 1976 for his novels Swart Pelgrim and Geknelde land. For Kambro-kind he received the ruitertrofee (equestrian trophy) of the Suid-Afrikaanse Federasie van Rapportryerskorpse in 1982. In 1981 the University of Port Elizabeth awarded him the honory degree D. Litt in recognition for his writings. In 1996 he received the Andrew Murray Prize for Literature. He was in addition a member of theMaatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde (a Dutch society for literature). F.A. Venter died in 1997.
(Info obtained from Wikipedia).
