Franse briewe by Marita van der Vyver

Franse briewe (Afrikaans Provence Letters, First Edition 2008)

Marita van der Vyver's Humorous Letters Home from Family Life in Provence (Pos uit Provence)

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Franse briewe: Pos uit Provence
• Author: Marita van der Vyver
• Publisher: Tafelberg, Kaapstad
• Publication Date: 2008
• ISBN-13: 9780624046677
• ISBN-10: 0624046672
• Edition Details: Eerste uitgawe (First Edition), 2008.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated card wrappers (perfect bound), printed in colour, without flaps.
• Physical Format: Large softcover (trade paperback), approximately 20 x 13 cm. With small line illustrations by Frans Groenewald.
• Language: Afrikaans

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Wraps: The illustrated blue wrappers, showing a letterbox set in a blue door, are clean and bright. The blue spine is free of creasing and fading, and the corners are sharp. A tiny mark near the lower spine, probably a speck or ink, is visible in the spine photograph.
• Interior: The cream pages are clean and bright, with no foxing, stains or markings. The binding is tight.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Franse briewe: Pos uit Provence, published by Tafelberg in Cape Town in 2008, gathers the monthly letters Marita van der Vyver wrote for the women's magazine Sarie about her family's daily life in Provence. It is described as a letter novel, made up entirely of letters, and continues the story begun in Die hart van ons huis.

The letters look wryly at French customs, food, traffic rules and policing, and the frequent strikes, often comparing them with life in South Africa. The humour is warm and observational, and the small line illustrations by Frans Groenewald add to the light tone.

A pleasing collectible copy of a popular modern Afrikaans title, suited to readers of Afrikaans literature and South African writing on life abroad.

Author Profile: Marita van der Vyver

Marita van der Vyver was born in Cape Town on 6 May 1958. She worked as a reporter for Die Burger, a copywriter for Leserskring and a feature writer for Sarie before becoming a full-time author.

Her youth novel Die Ongelooflike Avonture van Hanna Hoekom won the Sanlam Prize for Youth Fiction in 2002 and was filmed in 2010. Eenkantkind won the ATKV Prize for Youth Literature, and Stiltetyd won the ATKV Prize in 2007. Her work has been translated into English, Dutch and German.