A Cape Town author, Valda Jansen, has been awarded South Africa’s largest bursary in support of creative writers in the country.
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has announced that the prestigious Jan Rabie and Marjorie Wallace bursary of R430 000 for next year has been awarded unanimously to the young author.
This is for her writing project in Afrikaans that focuses on three women from different generations and eras, each responding in a particular way to the discourses in their times.
Her intended novel deals with issues of language and identity, as well as indigenous peoples’ contribution to cultural heritage. Jansen says she still can’t believe what has happened.
“The news came as a shock and a huge surprise and I never expected to win but I am very happy. Eventually the money will be used for me to travel a lot and to do research and then eventually to work on the manuscript, to go to places where I can sit and write undisturbed,” says Jansen.
