André Brink
A literary dissident who turned his native Afrikaans into a scalpel to cut apart the lies of apartheid, forcing his country to look in the mirror.
1935–2015 (age 80)·South African writer·Birthday: May 29·The Silent Generation
Biography
André Brink was not just a writer; he was a moral provocateur operating from within the belly of the beast. As a white Afrikaner, he wielded the language of the apartheid regime to undermine its very foundations. His early 'Sestiger' movement sought to modernize Afrikaans literature, but it was novels like 'Kennis van die Aand'—the first Afrikaans book banned by the government—that marked him as a dangerous man. Brink wrote in a state of controlled fury, his narratives exploring forbidden loves and political betrayals with a psychological intensity that made the abstract horrors of apartheid deeply personal. His decision to also write in English broadcast his dissent to the world, earning him international recognition and multiple Nobel Prize nominations. In post-apartheid South Africa, he remained a restless critic, examining the complexities of truth and reconciliation with the same unflinching gaze he once trained on the old order.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
André was born in 1935, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When André Was Born
The biggest hits of 1935
#1 Movie
Mutiny on the Bounty
Best Picture
Mutiny on the Bounty
André's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1935Born
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1940Started school
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1948Became a teenager
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Could drive
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1953Could vote
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Turned 21
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1965Turned 30
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 40
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 50
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 60
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 70
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 80
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- His 1973 novel 'Kennis van die Aand' (published in English as 'Looking on Darkness') was the first Afrikaans book banned by the apartheid government.
- Was a two-time finalist for the Booker Prize, for 'An Instant in the Wind' and 'Rumours of Rain'.
- Awarded the prestigious Monismanien Prize in Sweden for his contributions to freedom of speech.
- Served as a Professor of English at the University of Cape Town for many years, influencing generations of writers.
Did You Know?
He was an accomplished translator, bringing works by Shakespeare, Camus, and others into Afrikaans.
Brink was a keen sportsman in his youth and represented his university at tennis.
He was married five times.
“To write a novel is, for me, to take a stand against all that is wrong, all that is corrupt, all that is deceitful and destructive in the world.”
