Christine Barkhuizen-Le Roux (1959-2020)

Yesterday morning we received the sad news that Christine Barkhuizen-Le Roux unexpectedly passed away on 18 November, the day she turned 61. 

Christine was a writer and poet as well as a gifted translator from Dutch into Afrikaans. She made her debut in 2000 with her poetry collection ‘Dimensie’, and followed it with several more books of poetry, short stories and novels. In 2010 she began to translate work by the likes of Ingrid Vander Veken, Diane Broeckhoven and Griet Op de Beeck into Afrikaans. 

On two occasions, in 2016 and 2019, Christine spent a fortnight at our Vertalershuis in Antwerp. During her most recent stay with us, she threw herself wholeheartedly into the translation of ‘Kom hier dat ik u kus’ by Griet Op de Beeck, a work very close to her heart. We were always impressed by Christine’s enthusiasm, her dedication and her social engagement. In 2019 Flanders Literature awarded her a project grant to promote Saskia de Coster’s ‘Nachtouders’ in South Africa. This past summer she informed us that her hard work had paid off and that she had found a publisher for the novel. 

Dutch-language literature has lost an invaluable ambassador in South Africa and we at Flanders Literature will remember Christine as a warm and engaging personality. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues and we wish them strength in coming to terms with this immense loss.