Het daghet in den oosten?
Waar boeke was en 'n kultuur
hoor jy bedags die winde skuur
oor vlaktes grysland, wolke asse:
die son-embleem het nie geduur.
- Hennie Aucamp,
Thought for the day,
LitNet, 6 February 2004
I
As a lecturer I contribute to the training of a new generation of publishers. I am also involved in research that aims at mapping the South African book publishing industry. My contribution to this conference therefore involves a very specific perspective: not that of a publisher who publishes Afrikaans fiction but as an observer and researcher of production trends within the publishing system. I will attempt to present a personal perspective on the publishing scene (and more specifically the publishing scene and book culture that surrounds Afrikaans fiction) in the form of a description of the current state of affairs.
Since the democratisation of South Africa during the early 1990s
the Afrikaans language, culture and literature have no longer been
in the fortunate position of institutional preservation. For some
people Afrikaans is under pressure; others see the current situation
as an exciting challenge that might lead to the independent sustainability
of the Afrikaans language, culture and literature. The future of
Afrikaans is being contemplated since the 1990s. The most recent
example of this is the Afrikaans Language Summit that was held at
Stellenbosch (Martie
Meiring has written in a clear and insightful way about it).
At the same time the often involved and heated debate about the
continued existence of the Afrikaans book has been going on for
a considerable period. In 2002 discontentment
was voiced from writers' circles when Afrikaans writers blamed publishers
for publishing less Afrikaans fiction (especially poetry titles).
At the start of this debate
the existing ASV, or Afrikaanse Skrywersvereniging (Afrikaans Writers'
Society), whose membership consists mainly of black Afrikaans writers,
was largely ignored and support was voiced for the establishment
of a new writers' association (similar to the Afrikaanse Skrywersgilde
- Afrikaans Writers' Guild - of the past). One important issue that
surfaced during the debate was the (still existing) division and
lack of integration between black and white writers. In 2003 delegations
of both groups attended the Verteenwoordigende
Afrikaanse Beraad oor skrywers- en boekesake (Representative
Afrikaans Consultation on Matters related to Writers and Books)
at Nooitgedacht, where it was decided that the ASV would be accepted
as the inclusive writers' organisation. It was also decided that
all Afrikaans writers should join this organisation. A working committee
was formed with the purpose of promoting Afrikaans writers as well
as for the maintenance and promotion of the Afrikaans book. In the
meantime, no progress has been made as a result of the division
within the committee itself and the profile of the ASV membership
has not changed in any significant manner. Led by Dan Roodt, an
Afrikaans branch of PEN, supported mainly by established writers,
was founded in 2004. The official affiliation of the Afrikaans PEN
to the international PEN was (temporarily) boycotted as a result
of a letter of complaint that Nadine
Gordimer sent to the international organisation.
And while the Afrikaans issue is being hotly debated and organisations
are being established and others abolished, only a limited number
of Afrikaans fiction titles are published. In her annual literary
overview Sonja
Loots referred to 2003 as a "dull year for Afrikaans fiction,
especially literary fiction" and Helize
van Vuuren saw a dark future ahead for Afrikaans literature:
"an overview of the trends in Afrikaans literature (writing according
to a specific formula such as in the most recent forest novel by
Dalene Matthee, a constantly growing list of popular books, the
rejection by publishers of elevated, serious literary texts in favour
of best sellers and titles that guarantee commercial success such
as the popular, adventurous and sensational, the reduction in book
review pages) creates the impression that a similar regression is
taking place as that described by (NP van Wyk) Louw." Joan
Hambidge, her usual polemic self, holds a contentious opinion
about what she calls the "impasse in our literature": "probably
too many books were published in the past and yes, Afrikaans literature
was over-marketed and it was a media game that later became as empty
as a pencil case. It is definitely good that less is being published
and that there is stricter selection, but this should not happen
at the expense of important and boundary-shifting texts." Dan
Roodt advances a number of reasons for the demise of Afrikaans
literature: (i) in the past academics expected writers to write
ideologically and politically safe books, full of symbols or references,
aimed at the prescribed market, and this market has effectively
disappeared; (ii) most Afrikaans publishers were connected to the
big media groups for whom the publication of books was a kind of
subsidised, prestige activity and they did not market adequately
at bookshops and depended too much on the prescribed market; (iii)
Afrikaans newspapers are no longer loyal anymore to the Afrikaans
book; and (iv) Afrikaans writers today do not know how to extract
some sense from the political changes in South Africa and how to
write in a fresh, original and challenging way that would deliver
products that do not bore the Afrikaans reader. Despite these circumstances
Roodt still believes that we are on the eve of a prosperous time
for Afrikaans books and he is vigorously promoting the Afrikaans
book. Kirby
van der Merwe notes that publishers, writers and editors have,
over the past decade, concerned themselves with the language and
the continued existence of the book. Van der Merwe sees Roodt's
"call" as an oppressive form of laager-building and wonders whether
the welfare and the survival of the language and the Afrikaans literature
do not perhaps lie in its natural demise. He admits that there are
material attacks on the language, but refuses to take part in the
"dance of death" currently surrounding Afrikaans.
I form part of a generation that is not easily defined, the reason being that it includes a heterogeneous and versatile group of young people who avoid a group identity. People in this group are in the process of finding their own individual identities and are actualising such identities in a multicultural and multilingual society. The so-called Generation Z is perceived by some opinion-formers as an impartial generation of fence-sitters and has even been referred to as "hopeless". Although we are seen to be sitting on the fence, we are well-informed and some of us are creatively and actively involved in the language - the reason being that for us, the continued existence of a sophisticated Afrikaans language, culture and literature is of crucial importance. Some of us are in agreement about one thing, though: although it has a very important role in this whole process, the time for talking is over. It is now time for rolling up our sleeves as there is a lot to be done. I am specifically interested in the sustainable, continued existence of a compelling book culture within which people will still buy and read Afrikaans fiction and publishers will continue to produce interesting, world-class literature that shifts boundaries. Here I am referring to books that are filled with truth, wisdom, valour and honesty about the South African context, whereby identity can be found and expressed, books that offer readers a cultural product which is captivating and in some or other way enriching, and of which the language medium is irrelevant.
II
For my current research regarding the production of Afrikaans fiction, I have developed a database of the Afrikaans fiction books that were produced from 1990 tot 2003 (this I have restricted to fiction aimed at the adult market). The Production Database of Afrikaans Fiction (PDAF - a component of the PTD) makes it possible to determine in a systematic manner what types and what specific number of Afrikaans fiction books have been published, as well as the publishers involved in the production. The production landscape of Afrikaans fiction can be then mapped from this. Like some leading international book historians (amongst others Simon Eliot, Robert Darnton, Priya Joshi en Wendy Griswold), I regard quantitative research (the epistemology of production statistics) as the absolute starting-point for the investigation of a specific production category (in this case Afrikaans fiction) from a book-historiographic perspective. After production patterns have been determined from statistics, possible explanations can be investigated and challenges and deficiencies can be brought to light. This could then lead to further research by which solutions and strategies could be formulated for the sustainable, continued existence of Afrikaans fiction.
I have collected bibliographical data of Afrikaans fiction titles
from the most complete book collections hosted at the National Library
(NLSA) and the National Literary
Museum and Research Centre for Afrikaans (NALN).
In an attempt at a more in-depth charting of the production landscape
I verified the records against publishers' catalogues and/or the
physical books. Then I categorised the records in a complex categorising
system containing 116 discernible sub-categories according to specific
differentiating factors, for example: Dewey number; genre; the number
of authors; the compilation format (single volume versus anthologies
and collections); original Afrikaans works versus translations;
the physical format of the text (standard font size versus large
print); and the publishing channel (self-published versus published
by a publisher).
Examples of the 116 sub-categories include:
- literary drama - single play - single author - translated into Afrikaans - Mamma Medea;
- literary poetry - anthology - multiple authors - Groot verseboek 2000;
- literary poetry - single volume - single author - self-published - Carl Boplaas kraai douvoordag;
- literary prose - novel - Vergenoeg;
- large print - romance novel - translated into Afrikaans - Flikkers vir dokter Cade;
- humorous prose - single collection of short stories - single author - Spreekkamerstories: met 'n lepel vol lag; and
- inspirational prose - collection of essays - single author - Hillbrow is nie vir sissies nie.
I would like to emphasise that the categorisation of the records was not an attempt at making an artificial distinction between "high" and "low" literature. It was done in order to determine deeper-level production patterns of the total landscape - based on specific "labels" used by publishers themselves in the marketing and branding of their own products.
III
The PDAF indicates that during the period 1990-2003 a total of 4 419
Afrikaans fiction titles were published: 2 647 as first editions
and 1 660 as second or subsequent editions (of which only 219 have
been reprinted one or more times), and the remaining 112 as one
or more reprints of titles that were originally published before
1990. The curve of the total production (see the graph below) shows
a gradual rise between 1991 and 1995. The first half of the 1990s
has been described by experts
in the industry as "a renaissance of the Afrikaans book" (Afrikaans
readers started buying more books as Afrikaans started coming under
pressure on television and other platforms; substantial novels such
as Ons is nie almal so nie and Triomf were published;
and the book industry shared in the optimism around the "new South
Africa"). This transitional period was, however, only temporary
and it spelled the end of a golden era for the Afrikaans book -
an era in which media companies cross-subsidised the publication
of fiction with the profit gained from prescribed school books as
well as non-fiction books.
© 2004 Rudi MR Venter, Publishing Studies Programme, University
of Pretoria, South Africa
But then the once stable prescribed market crumbled in 1997/1998: the new Department of Education spent 85% less on school books in 1998 compared with the previous year, and books were even (temporarily) declared to be redundant learning materials in the new outcomes-based school curriculum. This has had a telling effect on the whole publishing industry, since the school book sector forms the backbone of this industry. The budgets of public libraries have been cut since the mid-1990s and in 2000 a funding deficit of R184,9 million was experienced; additionally, the purchasing policy had to provide for affirmative action in relation to the eleven official languages and the new role of libraries as community information centres.
The decrease shown by the production curve between 1995 and 1997 clearly indicates the impact of these factors - in the past the production of Afrikaans fiction was, after all, strongly dependent on the permanence of the prescribed and library markets. Mainstream publishers' comfort zones were disturbed and they were suddenly dependent on the (underdeveloped) general book-buying market. The period since 1998 has been a time of large-scale restructuring in the publishing industry - everything for the sake of survival and stability (on the production curve this period is represented by a plateau).
The production landscape of Afrikaans fiction is diverse, varied and unique (the local production of fiction in English and African languages does not show the same diversification). The following graph shows the production contributions of the various production categories with regard to the total landscape (the 116 sub-categories have been regrouped into 11 main categories).
© 2004 Rudi MR Venter, Publishing Studies Programme, University
of Pretoria, South Africa
It is clear that Afrikaans fiction, like Afrikaans music, comprises mainly "popular" products. This is not necessarily good or bad. It is simply the way it is. As has already happened in the world of Afrikaans music, questions ought to be asked about smaller and bigger slices of the proverbial pie. Does satisfying the demand for romance fiction contribute in any significant way to building a more permanent, future book culture (although such novels are entertaining and relaxing and are produced in abundance, they do not necessarily enrich the reader or challenge them to think a little further)? Or are assumptions made about the broader public's needs (or otherwise) regarding more demanding and challenging reading material? Is adequate provision made to meet the needs of readers of niche markets? The argument of publishers that a demand cannot be created in the market does not convince me - perhaps publishers alone cannot create such a demand, but what about collaboration with other role-players as part of a more substantial initiative? As has already happened with the reader profile of romance readers, thorough research ought to be conducted regarding the reader profiles of other production categories.
The debate about the future of the Afrikaans book (referred to earlier) strongly emphasised the shrinking production of poetry. But the production of poetry, which is seen worldwide as a niche market, is certainly not dead and buried. The emergence of Protea Boekhuis on the Afrikaans fiction publishing scene, the sustained (although reduced) production of NB Publishers, as well as the 99 poetry titles published by the poets themselves, have ensured the continued existence of poetry.
The publication of dramas, which in the past was strongly based on their potential to be prescribed, has dried up. Today a drama text is published only when it holds some prestige value or other for the publisher (and writer), such as its being considered for a literary prize.
The production of various prose categories (except for romance novels) diminished sharply between 1998 (98 titles) and 2003 (only 55 titles). The reduction in the publication of literary novels, thrillers/detective/suspense novels, collections of short stories and other short prose titles (rather than the production of poetry) should perhaps receive much more attention in the public discourse.
The publisher profile derived from the production profile shows important changes
regarding the available producers and their production contribution.
Perskor and HAUM-Literêr, the former competition for Naspers's publishers/imprints
that produce fiction, were acquired by Kagiso (a black empowerment
organisation) in 1994 and 1997 respectively. Kagiso was then, in
turn, acquired by the multinational Maskew Miller Longman and this
led to the end of fiction production by the latter. As a result
of the crumbling of the prescribed market, Naspers's various general
publishers (Tafelberg, Human & Rousseau, Kwela Books and Queillerie,
which publish fiction) were restructured into imprints that form
part of only one general publisher, NB Publishers, in 2001. The
production of fiction by smaller imprints was either discontinued
or reduced: the once very productive independent Queillerie today
publishes only a few titles (mainly translations) a year; Homeros's
focus on gay literature did not last very long either (Gay@LitNet
was the eventual saviour); and JL van Schaik (as general publisher
- thus distinguishable from the academic publisher Van Schaik) now
forms part of history. Naspers's electronic publisher, ContentLot.com,
has produced only a small number of electronic Afrikaans fiction
products - it appears not to be profitable enough. With regard to
innovative fiction products that transcend the boundaries of genres
and packaging formats and which will reach a younger-generation
reader (such as the poetry CDs of Breyten Breytenbach and Laurinda
Hofmeyr and the CD-ROM Verswêreld) only a few titles have
been published.
Producers of mainly popular fiction such as Benedic Boeke, Makro, Daan Retief and Knowledge Unlimited also had to close down as a result of changing market conditions. Jacklin Enterprises is a more recently established publisher that produces a large number of translated Mills & Boon novels for what is left of the library market. JP van der Walt was saved by the ATKV (which led to its name change to LAPA) and this enabled them, by means of their established distribution system (five self-owned book clubs), to continue publishing romance novels (a small number of literary fiction titles have also been published by them recently). CUM and Lux Verbi focus exclusively on inspirational fiction and non-fiction.
The former politically alternative publisher Taurus and the anti-establishment publisher Hond are dormant at present and their publishing lists have been taken over by Human & Rousseau. The independent Domestica en Prog (publishers ran by and for black poets) are also no more. It is a pity that these independent publishers disappeared, because the really innovative, avant-garde and experimental products are usually ventured into by independent publishers - this is the case worldwide.
Bent, Suider Kollege and Fenomeen (all three with a specific focus on the production of poetry, mainly) and Litera, Praag and Genugtig! have been new areas of growth outside the main stream since the second half of the 1990s (and especially since the early 2000s). As one-man publishers on a small scale, their contribution to production has, however, been limited thus far. Currently, Protea Boekhuis is the most productive commercial, independent publisher of Afrikaans literary fiction. This publisher's contribution to the production of poetry, and more recently also the production of (literary) prose, brought about a turning-point in the contemporary publishing history of Afrikaans fiction. Informal publishing channels are also maintained, amongst others, by 114 authors who have been publishing their own manuscripts since 1990; 67,81% of these publications have been poetry titles.
From the production landscape and the publisher profile it is evident that because of the influence of transformational shifts (political, economic, socio-cultural, institutional and technological change in the publishing system) a new era has dawned for the Afrikaans book. The general reduction in the production of Afrikaans fiction cannot be attributed to the remaining publishers only - the established publishers have, after all, assisted in building Afrikaans literature over many years and are still passionately involved in the publication of quality books.
The relationship between market demand and supply still needs to be thoroughly
researched. Both publishers and writers have an obligation to continue
producing for a broad spectrum and also to create a demand and a
culture; readers, on the other hand, should be persuaded to contribute
enthusiastically by buying and reading Afrikaans fiction continuously.
As Hannes
van Zyl notes, the publication of books in Afrikaans has become
"a demanding joy", cheaper to produce, but more difficult and more
expensive to market.
IV
When one looks realistically at the situation surrounding the production of Afrikaans
fiction, it seems to be connected to the general place of the book
as a cultural product (Johann
Rossouw gives a captivating account of the place of books in
the current video sphere in which we live). Big theatre complexes
that were former cultural centres for Afrikaans culture have opened
their doors to wider South African theatre and today very few Afrikaans
plays are seen on these stages. Despite the debates about the relationship
between art and entertainment in what is provided at arts festivals,
one should be grateful for these platforms where cultural products
are being marketed. kykNET has been added to Afrikaans television
and, despite the partly commercial and "realistic" "entertainment-without-taste",
a number of trendy programmes of quality have been added. Afrikaans
radio on RSG occasionally keeps up with changing times. Afrikaans
advertising has again shown its quality with the awarding of the
Pendoring prizes. Afrikaans music is experiencing unprecedented
growth. The Afrikaans book is right at the back of the cultural
queue - it is that rare cultural product that is in the news only
occasionally, and even then it does not really grab the attention
of the younger generation. We live in a time when the spotlight
falls much more on things like Charlize Theron's Oscar than on JM
Coetzee's Nobel Prize. Books have become unattractive. I do not
mean visually - on the contrary, the book design of contemporary
Afrikaans fiction has come a long way. There is just not a big enough
hype about Afrikaans fiction amongst Generation Z.
A novel way of marketing Afrikaans books to a younger generation is to emphasise the highly marketable personae of Afrikaans writers: the exotic Marita van der Vyver, the forest spirit Dalene Matthee, the yuppie Etienne van Heerden, the eternal anarchist Breyten Breytenbach, the guru André Brink, the forerunner Antjie Krog, the perpetual teenager Joan Hambidge, the aesthete Hennie Aucamp, the Engfrikaans Jackie Nagtegaal, the perfectionist Marlene van Niekerk - and there are many more. Why are Afrikaans writers (and especially the younger ones) not marketed in such a way that they are more familiar to the younger generation? The experimental and exciting Afrikaans writers of the 1960s and the boundary-shifting Afrikaans writers of the 1980s received (and claimed!) much more public attention than the writers of today. The extent to which Afrikaans musicians (and their record companies) are involved in the promotion of their public image should serve as an example to writers (and publishers). Writers need to realise that there is stronger competition regarding readers' disposable income. They can no longer afford not to be involved in the marketing of their own books just because they are uncomfortable with the idea. Perhaps we need a Voëlvry Tour for the Afrikaans book in order to create competitive icons and cult figures. It is, after all, going so well with Afrikaans music because it is made visible through a variety of channels and platforms.
Where are Afrikaans books and writers constantly visible? I have great appreciation for Elfra Erasmus, Francois Smith, Jaco Jacobs and Sonja Loots's book review pages (once a week / a single page / only partly dedicated to Afrikaans fiction) in Beeld, Die Burger, Volksblad and Rapport respectively. Insig's book review page (written by Elmari Rautenbach and Kirby van der Merwe) has been hailed as the best in South Africa at present - however, only twelve of these appear per year. The one page dedicated to books in the Taalgenoot appears only on a monthly basis; De Kat's book review page appears quarterly; Huisgenoot contents itself with half a page a week (emphasising romance); and Sarie, Rooi Rose and Vrouekeur are aimed at the market for women. I believe, however, that the use of reviews, book review pages and book launches as a platform makes books visible mainly to readers who are already converted. In addition, book launches follow a predictable pattern and do not interest younger people. Academic journals such as Tydskrif vir Letterkunde, Literator, Stilet and the new Spilpunt contribute with regard to academic discourse, but do not help to make books visible to the "ordinary" reader.
Apart from Pasella's rare book review or interview with a writer, interest
in Afrikaans books does not exist on the television channels of
the SABC. For those with access to the pay channel kykNET, some
programmes in the past emphasised books and writers (series such
as Boeksusters (Madeleine van Biljon and Cecile Cilliers),
Ja-Nee Poësie (Breyten Breytenbach) and Sandra op 'n Drafstap);
currently we can watch Hettie Scholtz's book slot on Kunskafee
once a month. On RSG one can still listen to Daniël Hugo's Leeskring,
and Bettie Kemp's interesting recent series Daar's ink in ons
are about our Afrikaans families who are writers, was a real
treat. The Boekeparadys and Boeke-Oase at arts festivals and the
Woordfees at Stellenbosch are exciting events and contribute towards
making books and writers visible, but are bound to specific venues
and happen only once a year. The electronic media is the most exciting
platform for continuous discourse about books, writers and reading;
websites like LitNet and Boekwurm
make an immense contribution and attract the younger generation
as well.
Only a small number of other organised initiatives exist regarding books and reading. One example is the attempt of Miemie du Plessis of LAPA and Carina Diedericks-Hugo of Human & Rousseau (in collaboration with writers) at early "conversion" - employing creative programmes at schools in order to make young learners aware of books. Ideally these learners will continue to read and to buy books and will form the next generation of readers. Hopefully they will not be alienated from Afrikaans literature by being required to engage with archaic prescribed works that have no relevance however to their current situation.
In addition, the Centre for the Book in Cape Town is building towards
a new generation of participants in a book culture through their
First
Words in Print-project. 7de Laan's production team deserves
a compliment for their idea to involve Marita van der Vyver in the
book
launch in the bookshop on set (it is, however, interesting to
note that this suggestion came from 7de Laan and not from
the publishers). As Hettie
Scholtz has said, we have sold our souls to 7de Laan
- surely it would be the perfect opportunity to remind "ordinary"
Afrikaans people about books.
Between the group of young readers that are reached at school,
the established (older) romance readers who are catered for by book
clubs, CNA and Leserskring/Leisure Books, and the already established
readers (they too are older people) who meet in reading-clubs (according
to NALN approximately 600 such clubs exist in the country), who
attend book launches and visit bookshops regularly, falls Generation
Z, for whom books are elitist and invisible, a generation that does
not have any contact with books. Is the current generation of Afrikaans
young people (those who do not want to have anything further to
do with literature when they leave school - perhaps because it was
not presented creatively or in a stimulating manner?) completely
lost for Afrikaans fiction? What could be done to involve students
and young people in a book culture? Where are the interesting, cutting-edge
interviews with writers through which they could be introduced to
the public - especially on television, in newspapers and on the
radio? (Paneelklopper
and Heupvuur
on LitNet are the exception.) Why are other celebrity figures not
interviewed more frequently about what they have on their bookshelves,
their reading habits and what their favourite books are in programmes
such as Pasella and JIP? Why is there no trendy television
or radio programme for young people that focuses (even only in part)
on books? Why are regular book reading evenings not held across
the country? When and from where will the organisational ability
emerge to organise a country-wide writers' caravan through which
writers could tour the country and contribute in the marketing of
their books and the establishment of a book culture? What a beautiful
day it would be if we started seeing roadside billboards advertising
books, as is the case in Europe.
I do understand that publishers are there to produce books and not to sell them; that they market the books they produce to bookshops (of which only relatively few are spread across the country and are found mainly in big shopping centres in major cities) and other dealers. Writers, publishers, book dealers, cultural organisations (such as the ATKV and FAK), and all others with an interest in books should form a consortium and negotiate collectively with the Department of Arts and Culture and potential corporate investors in order to provide the impetus needed for creating an awareness about books and reading. Existing initiatives should be centrally co-ordinated and more such initiatives are needed.
At the moment, the scene surrounding Afrikaans fiction appears somewhat monotonous and dusty. It is premature to predict either an approaching end or a period of prosperity. Nothing stops us, though, from big and novel thinking about Afrikaans fiction and from transforming it into an imaginative, competitive and indispensable cultural product.
|
For the past five years, the 26-year-old Rudi
MR Venter has been a lecturer on the Publishing Studies
Programme in the Department of Information Science, University of
Pretoria. His wider research interest focuses on the field of book
science, more specifically applied to contemporary publishing of Afrikaans
fiction. Currently he is in the process of finalising an M.IS thesis
on this topic. He has presented papers and published articles both
nationally and internationally and is involved in a number of research
projects, including: the development of the Production Trends Database
(PTD) - the only consolidated source of book production statistics;
contract research that documents the size, extent and nature of the
local book industry; and the quantitative analysis of the Jasmyn reader
profile that was compiled in 2003 by NB Publishers.
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