Toni Morrison's praise for Marlene van Niekerk’s AGAAT, as Michiel Heyns wins for its translation
October 5, 2009
Toni Morrison, winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature, has applauded Marlene van Niekerk's AGAAT saying, 'I was immediately mesmerized...Its beauty matches its depth and her achievement is as brilliant as it is haunting.'
This praise comes as Michiel Heyns became one of five winners of the 2009 prize for Outstanding Translation and Dictionaries awarded by the South African Translator's Institute (SATI), adding to the Sol Plaatjie Award for translation he has previously won for this work.
The judges noted that 'although Heyns did work closely with the author, he has himself created an incredible work of art...the translator has both retained and created literature. He has succeeded in capturing the atmosphere, the culture, the very intricate emotions in a completely plausible way without losing the flavour of the original.'
First published in South Africa by Tafelberg (Afrikaans: 2004, English: 2006), the book was then brought out in the UK by Little Brown in 2007 under the title THE WAY OF THE WOMEN. In the US, Tin House will publish AGAAT in 2010 under its original title. Rights have also been sold to Gallimard in France and Neri Pozza in Italy. Film rights have been sold to Mutz Media.
Other awards for AGAAT:
Shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, 2008.
Winner of the South African Sunday Times Literary Prize 2007 (English edition) and the Hertzog Prize 2007 (Afrikaans edition) in SA.
University of Johannesburg Prize, M-Net Award, W.A. Hofmeyr Award, all 2005 (Afrikaans edition).
Shortlisted Booksellers' Choice Award South Africa 2005 and the M-Net Literary Prize 2007 (English edition).