Krige, Uys (1910-1987), was a South African dramatist, poet, translator, and short-story writer. He wrote in both the Afrikaans and English languages. Through his writing and translations, Krige bridged the cultural, linguistic, and political gap between Afrikaans and English in South Africa.
Krige began writing in the late 1930’s after living in Spain from 1931 to 1936. He first attracted attention as a writer with his book of poetry Kentering (translated as Turnings, 1935). He wrote his first play, Magdalena Retief, in 1938 and his first book of short stories, Die Palmboom (The Palm Tree), in 1940.
During World War II (1939-1945), Krige was a war correspondent with the South African forces in North Africa. Krige was captured in the Western Desert in Egypt in 1941 and taken as a prisoner of war to Italy. In The Dream and the Desert (1953), he chronicled his war experiences through a series of stories that also evoked his childhood in South Africa. The book brought him international recognition. His later short stories were published as Orphan of the Desert (1967). Krige’s escape from prisoner of war camp formed the content of his autobiographical book The Way Out: Italian Intermezzo (1946, revised 1955).
Krige confirmed his reputation with the outstanding verse collection Ballade van die Groot Begeer (The Ballad of Great Desiring, 1960) and with plays such as Die Twee Lampe (1951; translated into English in 1964 as The Two Lamps), The Wall of Death (1960), and The Sniper (1962). In 1968, he edited The Penguin Book of South African Verse. Krige’s collected poems were published in 1985. Krige also translated a number of African-language poems and Afrikaans poetry into English and translated many Spanish, English, and Italian works of literature into Afrikaans.
Mattheus Uys Krige was born on Feb. 4, 1910, in Swellendam District in what is now Western Cape. He studied law at the University of Stellenbosch and at the University of Cape Town. Krige died on Aug. 10, 1987.
