Welcome to Litsy!

Winner of the 2007 Jan Rabie/Rapport Award for fresh, new Afrikaans Prose. "The 2007 Jan Rabie/Rapport Prize was awarded to Johan Engelbrecht for his debut work, 'kaffertjie.' Engelbrecht was commended for his contribution to renewal in Afrikaans literature. Says Dr. Andries Visagie from the University of Kwazulu/Natal and a judge in this category; "Engelbrecht is responsible for one of the most original debut works in Afrikaans literature's history."Justice Edwin CameronConstitutional Court Judge and Author of Witness to AIDS Sunday Independent: Books Page December 2006'BEST READS OF THE YEAR'“'kaffertjie,' by Johan Engelbrecht is a provocatively titled novelization of a most remarkable true story. The writer's childless aunt and uncle – he was a West Rand Conservative Party councilor in the 1980s – took their helper's infant into their doting care when she became permanently institutionalized. The title is eponymous, and is meant to capture the contradictions in this story of love, devotion and (fortunately brief) betrayal across the chasms of racial ignorance and stupidity. The book is already making waves in its Afrikaans appearance.”