Abraham Hermanus de Vries passed away on Friday evening, 23 August 2024, at the age of 87 in Durbanville in the Western Cape.
Awards and distinctions of Abraham H. de Vries
South Africans, especially Afrikaans-speaking people, knew De Vries for his short stories. He was awarded the Eugene Marais Prize three times. The first time in 1956 for the collection Flightgoogas RSG reports. In 1966 he received the prize for the novella Crossroadsand in 1967 for his collection Village in the Little KarooHe also received the Perskor Prize in 1973 for the collection BriekwaIn 2004, Rand Afrikaans University awarded him the Creative Writing Prize for the collection All about meHe received the Sala-Nadine Gordimer Short Story Prize for But how snoei the rose in the nag in 2015. In addition to all the literary awards, De Vries received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria in 2021.
He leaves behind his wife Hannie, two sons and a daughter.
Honors for legendary figures in Afrikaans literature
The Stellenbosch Woordfees posted on social media that “his short stories hold a special place in the hearts of many readers. A passionate storyteller, inspiring lecturer, bridge builder for Afrikaans.”
Well-known South African journalist and writer Dana Snyman posted the following heartfelt tribute to Abraham H. de Vries on his Facebook page:
“The day my father died, Uncle Braam sent me a message: ‘To lose a father is to lose a cornerpost’. When I heard this morning that he had gone to the other side, I suddenly felt cornerpostless. He was the first writer who made me feel like a writer among other writers… Who wrote better short stories in Afrikaans than he, from literary stories to his Klein Karoo tales, which were more than just sketches. He was one of the greats of our literature. He had the academic knowledge – especially of the implications of a short story – and he could convey it without making you feel stupid.”
“He will forever be a cornerstone for Afrikaans and our stories.”
Dana Snyman
Have you read stories by Abraham H. de Vries?
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