'n ope brief aan Dorian Gray en 'n peiling van die Afrikaanse resensiebedryf

Authors

  • Neil Cochrane University of South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/2309-9070/tvl.v.55i1.4384

Keywords:

Literary criticism, Ruan Fourie, Afrikaans poetry, Book reviewing, Literary mentorship

Abstract

The young Afrikaans poet, Ruan Fourie, published his debut volume of poetry, 'n ope brief aan Dorian Gray, in 2017. Fourie's debut received predominantly negative reviews from Afrikaans critics. A review by Afrikaans critic, Tom Gouws, was particularly destructive and transgressed acceptable professional standards. This example of destructive criticism is scrutinized in relation to similar transgressions in Afrikaans book reviews. In addition, a comparable Irish case study and theoretical viewpoints by Van Rees and Janssen are considered to provide a nuanced perspective on current practices in Afrikaans literary criticism. The article also focuses on the responses of Odendaal and Spies to Fourie's poetry to provide a critical and independent opinion on aspects such as publishing decisions, mentorship, manuscript development and editorial mentorship. The last part of the article consists of a substantiated evaluation of 'n ope brief aan Dorian Gray. It is concluded that despite evidence of creative talent, there are too many shortcomings due to questionable editorial mentorship and impetuous publishing decisions.

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Author Biography

  • Neil Cochrane, University of South Africa

    Neil Cochrane is a lecturer in the Department of Afrikaans and Literary Theory at the University of South Africa. 

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Published

2018-03-19

Issue

Section

Review articles

How to Cite

Cochrane, N. (2018). ’n ope brief aan Dorian Gray en ’n peiling van die Afrikaanse resensiebedryf. Tydskrif Vir Letterkunde, 55(1), 175-186. https://doi.org/10.17159/2309-9070/tvl.v.55i1.4384