List of South African poets

About poets
Poet List of English-language poets Poets of other languages
History of poetry
Spoken poetry • Oral poetry World poetry • English poetry Old English • Middle English Renaissance • Restoration Augustan • Romantic Victorian • Modernist
Schools and movements
Cavalier  • Metaphysical Augustan • Graveyard • Romantic Pre-Raphaelites • Georgians Symbolism • Surrealism Imagists • Fugitives Objectivists • Confessional Black Mountain • Beats Language poets • Deep image Expansive • New Formalism List of groups and movements
Country and region
English poetry • Scottish poetry Anglo-Welsh • British poets Timeline of British poetry Irish poetry • Irish poets American poetry • U.S. poets African-American • Chicano Timeline of American poetry • Canadian poetry • poets Timeline of Canadian poetry Caribbean poetry • poets Australian poetry • poets New Zealand poetry • NZ poets Anglo-Indian poetry • poets Asian English-language poets South African poetry • SA poets African Engiish-language poets
Infrastructure
List of literary critics List of literary magazines List of poetry anthologies List of poetry awards List of poetry organizations Online poetry resources

South African poetry covers a broad range of themes, forms, and styles, reflective of the diversity of its cultures and complex historical influences. As with the rest of the African continent, the two primary traditions that have shaped the South African poetry landscape are the written / published word and the ancient oral traditions . These works are written and recited in English, Afrikaans and the range of indigenous South African languages, the mostly predominant of these being Zulu and Xhosa. Traditional indigenous literature includes oral poetry forms such as “izibongo” - praise poetry with the traditional role of the ‘imbongi’ or praise poet as social commentator and jester of the times, to a significant extent being taken up in the form of spoken word , by younger generations of poets living in an urban setting.

"From the ritual songs and stories of the country's earliest inhabitants to the rousing calls to action by anti-apartheid artists, oral poetry has always been an integral part of South Africa's literary and cultural heritage." Voicing the Text: South African Oral Poetry and Performance - Duncan Brown, 1999

National annual poetry festivals such as Poetry Africa , Urban Voices, WordFest (as part of the annual National Arts Festival), Badilisha Poetry X-Change, and now the online podcasting platform Badilisha Poetry Radio, as well as rapidly increasing access to the internet over the last two decades, has accelerated South African poets’ exposure to historical archives and current global trends in poetry. These have encouraged the growth, visibility and appreciation of this literary form within the country. Template:Culture of South Africa Template:Refimprove

A

1. Lionel Abrahams (1928-2004), English
2. Tatamkulu Afrika (1920-2002), English
3. Mike Alfred
4. Ingrid Andersen

B

1. Gabeba Baderoon
2. Shabbir Banoobhai
3. Sinclair Beiles
4. Robert Berold (born 1948), English
5. Vonani Bila
6. Roy Blumenthal
7. Herman Charles Bosman
8. Breyten Breytenbach
9. Dennis Brutus (1924-2009), English
10. Guy Butler

C

1. Roy Campbell (1901-1957), South Africa / England, English
2. Charl Cilliers
3. Sue Clark
4. Johnny Clegg
5. Jack Cope
6. Jeremy Cronin
7. Patrick Cullinan
8. Gary Cummiskey
9. Sheila Cussons

D

1. Achmat Dangor
2. Ingrid de Kok
3. Isobel Dixon (born 1969), South Africa / England, English
4. Modikwe Dikobe
5. Angifi Dladla
6. I D du Plessis
7. Finuala Dowling

E

1. Elisabeth Eybers (1915-2007), Afrikaans

F

1. Kingsley Fairbridge (1885-1924), English
2. Gus Ferguson
3. Sheila Meiring Fugard

G

1. Perceval Gibbon (1879-1926), English
2. Keith Gottschalk
3. Stephen Gray
4. Robert Greig
5. Mafika Gwala

H

1. Megan Hall
2. Joan Hambidge
3. William Robert Hamilton (1891-1917), English
4. Colleen Higgs
5. Robert Homem
6. Christopher Hope (born 1944), English
7. Peter Horn
8. Allan Kolski Horwitz

J

1. Alan James
2. Wopko Jensma
3. Liesl Jobson
4. Sarah Johnson
5. Ingrid Jonker

K

1. Aryan Kaganof
2. Anne Kellas
3. Keorapetse Kgositsile (born 1938), English
4. Edith L.M. King (1871-1962), English
5. Olga Kirsch
6. Rustum Kozain
7. Uys Krige
8. Antjie Krog
9. Anton Krueger
10. Mazisi Kunene (1930-2006), Zulu

L

1. Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven
2. C. Louis Leipoldt
3. Douglas Livingstone (1932–1996), Natal, English

M

1. Don Maclennan
2. Mzi Mahola
3. Chris Mann
4. Andrew Martens
5. John Mateer
6. Don Mattera (born 1935), English
7. James Matthews
8. Mzwakhe Mbuli
9. Kim McClenaghan
10. Michelle McGrane
11. Sheila Meiring Fugard
12. Joan Metelerkamp
13. S.E.K. Mqhayi
14. Ruth Miller
15. Abdul Milazi
16. Kobus Moolman
17. Isabella Motadinyane
18. Seitlhamo Motsapi
19. Casey Motsisi
20. Oswald Mtshali

N

1. Arthur Nortje (1942-1970), English

O

1. D.J. Opperman

P

• William Plomer (1903-1973)

1. Karen Press
2. Thomas Pringle (1789-1834), Scotland / South Africa, English

R

1. Lesego Rampolokeng (born 1965), English
2. Azila Talit Reisenberger
3. Robert Royston

S

1. Arja Salafranca
2. Sipho Sepamla (1932-2007)
3. Mongane Wally Serote (born 1944)
4. Steve Shapiro
5. Adam Small

T

1. Totius

V

1. Ernst van Heerden
2. Christopher van Wyk
3. A.G. Visser
4. Benedict Wallet Vilakazi
5. Gert Vlok Nel

W

1. Francis Walrond (1875-1948), English
2. Crystal Warren
3. Stephen Watson
4. Mary Morison Webster
5. George Weideman
6. David Wright

X

1. Makhosazana Xaba

See also

• List of English-language poets
• List of South African writers
• South African literature
• South African poetry

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