Die Rooi Granaat by Audrey Blignault
Die Rooi Granaat (Author-Signed Hardcover Collectible)
An Intimate, Personal Vision of the Afrikaans Essayist Tradition
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Die Rooi Granaat
- Author: Audrey Blignault
- Publisher: Tafelberg-Uitgewers, Cape Town
- Publication Date: 1971 (First Edition, Second Printing)
- ISBN Details: Issued pre-standardisation without a modern global ISBN profile for this early 1970s hardback impression.
- Edition Details: Early vintage printing of the collected essays. Hand-signed by the author on the introductory/preliminary page.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium hardcover boards, housed in the original matching illustrative paper dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Medium Octavo (8vo), 183 pages. Clean, formal layout typical of mid-century Tafelberg editions.
- Language: Afrikaans.
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The hardcover binding is structurally excellent, level, and firm. Edges and spine ends remain stable and square, demonstrating minimal shelf wear.
- Interior: The complete text block is exceptionally clean, bright, and tight. Internal pages are clear and crisp, entirely free of contemporary highlighter marks or text underlining.
- Provenance & Markings: Deeply enhanced by an authentic ink signature by Audrey Blignault located directly on the title/preliminary page. A neat presentation inscription from a previous owner is also present on the front flyleaf.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good (VG)
- Condition & Preservation: Complete and bright. Displays minor handling marks along the exterior panels alongside slight edge wear and very minor tearing at the vulnerable top margins. The entire jacket has been preserved and stabilized under a protective cellophane cover to halt any future friction or UV fading.
Synopsis & Historical Value
First arriving in the early 1970s, Die Rooi Granaat gathers 24 masterfully crafted informal essays that cemented Audrey Blignault as the premier twentieth-century exponent of the informal essay genre in South Africa. Drawing thematic inspiration from the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Blignault shifts focus onto the beauty hidden inside ordinary, day-to-day encounters—a family garden, a home library, or a brief conversation. Written with her signature warm wit and mild satire directed toward the artificialities of modern civilisation, this specific anthology also features her critically lauded short story Die Prinses Ponselle. It stands as an important, deeply nostalgic time capsule for dedicated bibliophiles building an elite collection of classic Afrikaans belles-lettres.
Author Profile: Audrey Blignault
Audrey Bettie Blignault (1916–2008) was one of the most widely read and influential essayists, columnists, and broadcasters in South African literary history. Having studied Afrikaans literature at Stellenbosch University, she went on to serve as the chief editor of Die Huisvrou and managed the first dedicated literary programs for the South African Broadcasting Corporation. For over 25 years, her monthly columns for Sarie magazine defined the cultural reading habits of generations. Her enormous contribution to literature earned her the prestigious Hertzog Prize for Prose in 1961, along with a lifetime of honorary citizenships and dedicated museum accolades.
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