Die outobiografiese in Antjie Krog se gedigte en 'n Ander tongval

Abstract

It is evident in Antjie Krog's oeuvre that autobiographical aspects and themes play an important role in her work, and that such aspects are in fact characteristic of all her work. In this study the relation between the autobiographical material in 'n Ander Tongval (2003) and in some of her volumes of poetry is researched. It is clear from the theoretical works that were consulted that the relation between the text and "reality" can be extremely complex, because all autobiographical texts always contain both autobiographical and fictional aspects. In the autobiographical text the writer must constantly negotiate between the public and the private; in other words what the writer chooses to remember and reveal, and what is concealed. There are significant similarities between the autobiographical memories in 'n Ander Tongva/ and a number of Antjie Krog's poems from the volumes Dogter van Jefta, Otters in bronslaai, Jerusa/emgangers, Lady Anne, Gedigte 1989 - 1995 and Kleur kom nooit aileen nie. It is evident, however, that the same information is presented very differently in the poetic and narrative texts. Krog uses her memory very selectively and she manipulates her memories in the representation of the poems. A reason for this may be that she regards her poetry as personal, while the autobiographical text was written for a bigger audience. The same argument applies to her use of different voices ("I" as well as other voices) which is used in both texts.