Ingrid Jonker: Beeld Van 'n Digterslewe (Afrikaans Edition)
Ingrid Jonker: Beeld Van 'n Digterslewe (First Edition)
An Intimate Pictorial Biography of South Africa’s Iconic Literary Legend
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Ingrid Jonker: Beeld Van 'n Digterslewe (Afrikaans Edition)
- Author / Compiler: Petrovna Metelerkamp
- Publisher: Hemel en See Boeke, Vermont
- Publication Date: 2003
- ISBN-13: 9780620285353
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Printing.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium illustrated laminated heavy card wrappers with oversized French flaps (gatefold softcover).
- Physical Format: Large Quarto/A4 Format, 252 pages. Extensively illustrated with approximately 140 rare historical photographs, 60 archival letters, private manuscripts, and a selection of curated poetry.
- Language: Afrikaans text.
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Wraps: The vibrant pictorial laminated card wrappers remain square, flat, and structurally sound. Extremely minor surface shelf wear and light corner rubbing, fully consistent with a carefully stored collectible copy. The spine is completely unbroken, crisp, uncreased, and undamaged.
- Interior: The text block is exceptionally tight and firmly bound. Internal pages, photographic plates, and archival document reproductions are crisp, clean, and entirely free of dog-ears, owner signatures, dealer pencil marks, or text highlighting. There is slight, superficial waving present along the margins of some internal pages, which is completely stable and does not impact readability or the overall structural integrity.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 2003, Ingrid Jonker: Beeld Van 'n Digterslewe stands as the definitive, groundbreaking pictorial biography documenting the tragic life and enduring legacy of Ingrid Jonker—the iconic young poet who became a mythic figure in South African literature. Following her tragic death by drowning in 1965 at Three Anchor Bay, much of Jonker's personal history remained shrouded in secrecy and misconception.
Thirty-eight years after her passing, veteran biographer Petrovna Metelerkamp lifted that veil to cast her impoverished childhood, her complex, painful relationship with her politician father Abraham Jonker, her fractured marriage, and her highly volatile romantic relationships with literary titans Jack Cope and André Brink into accurate, balanced historical perspective. Utilising an unprecedented archive of nearly 140 raw photographs and 60 intimate letters, this unique document humanises an immortal literary "elf" into a multi-layered figure of flesh and blood, beautifully integrated with literary commentary from acclaimed scholars Lina Spies and Petra Müller.
Author Profile: Petrovna Metelerkamp
Petrovna Metelerkamp is a highly respected South African author, biographer, archivist, and former journalist. After completing her education, she built an extensive media career working on the editorial boards of prominent national publications, including Huisgenoot and the influential current affairs magazine Insig. In 2000, she founded the independent publishing house Hemel & See Boeke. Widely recognised as the primary authority on Ingrid Jonker's life, Metelerkamp has dedicated decades to researching the poet's archival materials, culminating in several highly acclaimed biographical texts, dramatic stage plays, and compilations that have been praised for their rigorous, objective reliance on private letters and diaries.
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