“Until recently, I have chosen not to be drawn into discussions or evocations of her life, notably in documentary films, some unforgivably bad,” he writes. “But precisely because of these I have begun to believe that perhaps I owe it to her at last to unfold, without drama or melodrama, some of the things I have kept to myself. Not the icon but the person. The woman I loved. And who nearly drove me mad.”
Read Andrew Donaldson’s article in The Times.
Read more about South African poet, Ingrid Jonker, on the Poetry International Web.
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Peony Moon 
Will read it later. Thanks.
Thanks, Michelle. Am very keen to read more about Ingrid Jonker now!
Do all people we love nearly drive us mad, or only a choice few? There are some crazy-makers in this land of love, for sure. I’ll go check out the article about Jonker.
Lord a mercy, Michelle. I just read her bio. May the gods love us all for what we do to each other.
Has her work been translated into English?
C, here’s the link to Black Butterflies, Ingrid Jonker’s Selected Poems translated by Andre Brink and Antjie Krog on Amazon UK (not that Amazon is in anyone’s good books at the moment):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Butterflies-Ingrid-Jonker/dp/0798148926
For some reason, the volume doesn’t seem to be available on Amazon US.
I couldn’t read the Donaldson article (my computer gets weird sometimes). I’ll keep trying or google it, because I’m very intrigued. I was able to read the Poetry International Web link you have here. What a sad life! To be rejected by a father is horrible!
I’ll check out the amazon link, too. Thank you!!