Antjie Krog and the Post-Apartheid Public Sphere

Book excerpt: Antjie Krog has been known in Afrikaans literary circles and the media for decades because of her poetry and her strong political convictions. Often known simply as 'Antjie, ' she is also affectionately called 'our beloved poet' and our 'Joan of Arc' by Afrikaans commentators. It was through her work on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as an SABC radio journalist and her subsequent book, Country of My Skull, that Antjie Krog then became known to English-speakers in South Africa and across the world. Her work catapulted her particular brand of poetics and politics, honed over many years of her opposition to apartheid, into the South African public sphere at a time when the country was not only looking for a humane and just resolution after the apartheid era, but was also establishing itself as a new democracy. These were heady days as South Africa discovered an exciting place in the world, as the country realized it had things to say and teach about race, conflict, and justice. It was also a time when the new government was seeking solutions and urging all those who could contribute positively to stand up and speak out. The language of 'public intellectuals' was in the air. This book considers how Antjie Krog - the prolific poet, journalist, non-fiction author, academic, and researcher - has made a significant contribution to the South African post-apartheid public sphere. Krog's inimitable style, rooted in her sensibility as a poet, has allowed her to develop a particular persona and subjectivity as a writer of testimony and witness. [Subject: Politics, African Studies, Apartheid Studies, Literature