Groote Schuur; Literary Annual / Letterkundige Jaarblad . . .
Cape Town: Students' Representative Council, University of Cape Town, 1959. First edition. 8vo, 72pp; pictorial wrappers. Small abrasion/tear affecting first two leaves (ads only); wrappers a bit rubbed and with a crease to upper front corner, some toning and abrasion to rear and two small holes to spine. Despite stated flaws, a very presentable copy of this delicate publication. Item #204245
This student publication features two of the earliest printed works by Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee, then just eighteen years old: the three-page poem "Truth Lies Sunken" and a four-page exceprt from a verse-drama "The Last Spring," both appearing under the name John Coetzee. This issue also includes some of the earliest work in print by Breyten Breytenbach, being prose and poetry in Afrikaans, as well as a linocut. Breytenbach would be forced into exile one year later because of his opposition to and activism against apartheid. Other contributors include C.J. (Jonty) Driver, Adam Small , Joan Trehair, and Merle Freund. A remarkable and uncommon publication heralding a new generation of South African talent that woud leave a lasting mark.
Price: $450.00