Johann de Lange is an Afrikaanspoet, short story writer and critic. He is renowned for being one of the foremost gay writers in Afrikaans, his most controversial book being Nagsweet.
Writing career
He debuted in 1982 with a collection of poetry titled Akwarelle van die dors for which he was awarded the Ingrid Jonker prize in 1983. This was followed by Waterwoestyn in 1984, Snel grys fantoom in 1986, Wordende naak in 1988 which was awarded the Rapport Prize for Poetry, Nagsweet in 1990, Vleiswond in 1993 and Wat sag is vergaan in 1995. After a silence of 13 years he published a new volume of poetry Die algebra van nood in 2009, which was awarded the Hertzog Prize for Poetry in 2011. In 2010 a selection from his poetry was published under the title Judasoog. In 1996 he published his first collection of short stories titled Vreemder as fiksie, followed by Tweede natuur in 2000 in which he explores the drug subculture. In 1997 he edited an anthology of short stories titled Soort soek soort, covering 100 years of gay fiction in Afrikaans, and in 1998 an anthology of Afrikaans erotic poetry in collaboration with Antjie Krog titled Die dye trek die dye aan. In 2010 he compiled a selection of poems by Afrikaans poet Lina Spies, titled Die skyn van tuiskoms, and in 2011 a selection from the poetry of Wilhelm Knobel titled As die woorde begin droom. He was also awarded the Pankrator prize for his poem Skerpskutter in an international poetry competition organised by UNESCO, as well as an Avanti award for his documentary script on the life of Ingrid Jonker Verdrinkte hande. He has translated poetry by Wilma Stockenström, Sheila Cussons, Antjie Krog, Lucas Malan & Ernst van Heerden amongst others into English. A great number of these translations has since been published in local and overseas collections and anthologies like The Penguin book of Southern African Verse, Breaking the silence – a century of South African women’s poetry, Soho Square: a collection of new writing from Africa, The heart in exile: South African poetry in English 1990-1995 and The lava of this land: South African Poetry 1960-1996. A selection of his translations of Wilma Stockenström’s poetry was published as The wisdom of water in 2007.
