YEAR
CATEGORY

Hermann Giliomee

Hermann Giliomee originally wrote his awarded book, Die Afrikaners: ’n Biografie, in English under the title The Afrikaners – Biography of a people (2003). It tells the story of the Afrikaner’s survival, from the colonial period through to the twenty-first century. It was an instant top-seller and the Afrikaans translation of the work, by the author himself, was just as popular. 
In 2008 history was made in respect of the Helgaard Steyn Award for Literature, as the prize and prize money (of R150 000) were shared, for the first time, by two authors. Both the works received multiple South African prizes and international acclaim since their release in 2004.

Hermann Buhr Giliomee was born in Sterkstroom in the Eastern Cape on 4 April 1938. He attended school at Porterville and studied History at the University of Stel- lenbosch. He subsequently worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and lectured at the University of Stellenbosch. From 1983 to 1998 he was professor in Political Studies at the University of Cape Town and from 1995 to 1997 he was president of the South African Institute of Race Relations. Giliomee is currently an extraordinary professor and research associate of the Department of History at the University of Stellen- bosch.

In 1984, Giliomee was the co-founder of Die Suid- Afrikaan, an Afrikaans magazine of opinions, and, during the 1980s, a regular columnist for the Rand Daily Mail and the Cape Times. He was also an associate at Yale University in the USA (in the 1970s), Cambridge University (1982 – 1983) and the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington DC (1992 – 1993).

He is married to Annette van Coller and they have two daughters and five grandchildren.

 

Other awards

Stals Prize for Political Sciences (2001)

Stals Prize for History Sciences (2004) – Stalsprys vir geskiedwetenskappe (2004) – The Afrikaners

Recht Malan Prize for Non-fiction (2004) – The Afrikaners

Publications

NON-FICTION

1975 Die Kaap tydens die eerste Britse bewind: 1795 – 1803

1979 Ethnic power mobilized – Can South Africa change? (with Heribert Adam)

1982 The Parting of the Ways: South African politics 1976 – 82

1985 Up against the fences (with Lawrence Schlemmer)

1988 The Shaping of South African Society, 1652 – 1840

1989 From apartheid to nation-building (with Lawrence Schlemmer)

1989 Negotiating South Africa’s future (with Lawrence Shlemmer)

1990 ’n Samelewing in wording: Suid-Afrika, 1652 – 1840

1994 The Bold experiment (with Lawrence Shlemmer and Sarita Hauptfleisch)

1999 The awkward embrace (with Charles Simkins)

2001 Kruispad

2003 The Afrikaners – Biography of a people

2004 Die Afrikaners: ’n Biografie

2006n Vaste plek vir Afrikaans (with Lawrence Schlemmer)

2007 Nog altyd hier gewees

2007 Nuwe geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika (with Bernard Mbenga)

2007 New History of South Africa (with Bernard Mbenga)

2012 Die laaste Afrikanerleiers, (English: The Last Afrikaner Leaders)