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Carel van der Merwe

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South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer

Carel van der Merwe
Carel van der Merwe – Novelist, historian, businessmanCarel van der Merwe – Novelist, historian, businessman
BornWillem Carel van der Merwe
(1963-09-07) 7 September 1963 (age 61)
Johannesburg, South Africa
OccupationNovelist, historian, businessman
LanguageAfrikaans, English, German
Alma materUniversity of Stellenbosh, University of Cape Town, Middlesex University
Notable awards
  • 2010: Eugène Marais Prize
  • 2016: KykNET-Rapport Prize (Non-fiction)
  • 2016: SA Academy for Arts and Sciences (Protea Boekhuis Prize)
  • 2017: SA Academy for Arts and Sciences (LW Hiemstra Prize)
  • 2020: KykNET-Rapport Prize (Non-fiction)
  • 2020: ATKV Prize (Non-fiction)
  • 2022: SA Academy for Arts and Sciences (Protea Boekhuis Prize)

Carel van der Merwe is a South African author, historian and businessman who writes in Afrikaans and English. He has been awarded a number of literary prizes for his fiction and non-fiction books.

Life and career

Van der Merwe was born on 7 September 1963 in Johannesburg. His father, Carel van der Merwe (1936-2016), was managing director of the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Ltd. During his youth Van der Merwe attended various schools in South Africa and Germany, and matriculated in 1981 at Linden High School in Johannesburg. Following his compulsory military service he studied at Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town, where he obtained undergraduate and post-graduate business degrees. He qualified as a chartered accountant, and worked for the international auditing firm Arthur Andersen & Co in Johannesburg and London until 1991.

In 1991 he joined Rand Merchant Bank Ltd in Johannesburg, and in 1995 he co-founded African Merchant Bank Ltd. In 2000 Van der Merwe relocated to London to serve as an executive director (mergers and acquisitions) of Comparex Limited, an international IT company. Whilst living in London he completed his part-time MA in Writing at Middlesex University, graduating with distinction in 2005. In 2006 relocated to Stellenbosch, South Africa's oldest town. He is currently chairman of the Stellenbosch Heritage Trust, which owns and manages a portfolio of historic buildings. He is also a director of AMB Capital Ltd, the successor of AMB. In 2018 he obtained a Phd in History at Stellenbosch University. He has two daughters, Mieke and Emma.

Writing

Van der Merwe only started writing in his early forties. In 2004 he published his first short story, The Water Mountains, in a UK short story collection. In 2007 he published his debut novels, No Man's Land and Nasleep, written by him in English and Afrikaans respectively. No Man's Land was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize as well as the M-Net Literary Awards, and Nasleep for the UJ Literary Prize.

Van der Merwe also wrote his next novel in English and Afrikaans, and Shark and Geldwolf were published in 2009. Geldwolf was shortlisted for the M-Net Literary Awards (film category), and awarded the Eugène Marais Prize by the South African Academy for Arts and Science.

In 2012 his third novel was published, once again written by him English and Afrikaans, as Shadow and Skaduwee respectively.

In 2015 he published Donker Stroom - Eugène Marais en die Anglo-Boereoorlog, a biography of the famous South African poet and naturalist Eugène Marais. It was awarded the KykNET-Rapport Prize (non-fiction), as well as the Protea Boekhuis Prize and the L.W. Hiemstra Prize by the South African Academy for Arts and Sciences. It was also short-listed for the South African Literary Awards (non-fiction) award.

In 2019 Van der Merwe published Kansvatter: Die rustelose lewe van Ben Viljoen, a biography of Ben Viljoen, an enigmatic Boer War general. It was awarded the KykNET-Rapport Book prize (non-fiction), the ATKV Book prize (non-fiction), as well as the Protea Boekhuis Prize by the South African Academy for Arts and Sciences. It was also shortlisted for the South African Literary Awards (non-fiction) award.

Works

Title Year ISBN
No Man's Land 2007 978-1-4152-0028-5
Nasleep 2007 978-1-4152-0029-2
Nasleep - Dutch translation by Riet de Jong-Goossens 2007 978-90-895-3040-0
Shark 2009 978-1-4152-0076-6
Geldwolf 2009 978-1-4152-0077-3
Shadow 2012 978-1-4152-0181-7
Skaduwee 2012 978-1-4152-0180-0
Donker Stroom – Eugène Marais en die Anglo-Boereoorlog 2015 978-0-624-07342-0
Kansvatter - Die rustelose lewe van Ben Viljoen 2019 1485310563

Nominations and awards

Van der Merwe's books have been shortlisted for various literary awards such as the Commonwealth Writer's Prize, the South African Literary Awards Creative Non-Fiction Award, the UJ Literary Prize and the M-Net Literary Prize. He has also been awarded the following literary prizes:

Year Award Book
2010 Eugène Marais Prize Geldwolf
2016 KykNET-Rapport Book Prize (non-fiction) Donker Stroom
2016 Protea Boekhuis Prize Donker Stroom
2017 LW Hiemstra Prize Donker Stroom
2020 KykNET-Rapport Book Prize (non-fiction) Kansvatter
2020 ATKV Book Prize (non-fiction) Kansvatter
2022 Protea Boekhuis Prize Kansvatter

References

  1. “Carel van der Merwe”. Stellenbosch Writers database. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  2. “Black future for the IDC”. (30 September 1994). Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2022
  3. “Carel van der Merwe”. Stellenbosch Writers database. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  4. Scott, Iain (15 Jun 2001). “Comparex director resigns”. Itweb. Retrieved 22 April 2022
  5. “Stellenbosch Heritage Trust – Die trustees”. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  6. “AMB Capital: Who we are”. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  7. “Stellenbosch author awarded book prize…again”. Matiemedia. Retrieved 19 April 2022
  8. “SA Writers on Commonwealth prize shortlist”. (27 February 2008). The Witness. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  9. M-Net Literary Awards. Misplaced Pages. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  10. “Carel van der Merwe”. Stellenbosch Writers database. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  11. Du Toit, Liesl (28 June 2010). “Kortlys vir vanjaar se M-Net Literêre Toekennings”. Sarie. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  12. “Eugène Marais Prize”. Misplaced Pages. Retrieved 21 April 2022
  13. “Wenners van die KykNET-Rapport-boekpryse vir 2016 bekend” (24 September 2016). Litnet. Retrieved 22 April 2022
  14. “Protea Boekhuisprys”. Misplaced Pages. Retrieved 22 April 2022
  15. “Akademiepryse 2017: LW Hiemstraprys vir niefiksie aan Carel van der Merwe.” (23 Junie 2017). Retrieved 22 April 2022
  16. “Book awards: South African Literary Awards Nominees.” LibraryThing. Retrieved 22 April 2022
  17. “kykNET-Rapport-boekpryse 2020: wenners aangekondig.” (19 September 2019). Litnet. Retrieved 22 April 2022
  18. “ATKV-Woordveertjie vir prosa, niefiksie en spanningslektuur”. (23 October 2020). Litnet. Retrieved 22 April 2022
  19. “Hulle wen Akademiepryse vir uitnemendheid”. (22 April 2022). netwerk24.com. Retrieved 23 April 2022
  20. “Hier is die SALA benoemings”. (7 Oktober 2020). netwerk24.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022
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