Celliers het in 1874 met ossewa na Pretoria getrek, waar sy vader oprigter en eerste redakteur geword het van "De Volkstem". Hy het gestudeerin Pretoria, Stellenbosch, Wellington en Delft 1887-1890. Daarna het hy gewerk as landmeter en later as staatsbibliotekaris op Pretoria (1894 - 1899). Tydens die Anglo-Boere Oorlog was hy op kommande en het na die oorlog saam met sy gesin na Europa verhuis waar hy hom in die letterkunde verdiep het. In 1907 keer het hy en sy gesin teruggekeer na Suid-Afrika.
Hy was die medeoprigter van "Die Brandwag", wat bedoel was om Afrikaans as taal te bevorder. Hy was in hierdie tyd ook werksaam aan die Departement van Binnelandse Sake in Pretoria. Sedert 1918 was hy tot met sy aftrede Professor aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch.
[wysig] Bronnelys en verwysings
- E. C. Pienaar (1935). Digters uit Suid-Afrika: Bloemlesing uit die Poësie van die Tweede Afrikaanse Taalbeweging. Sewende hersiene en vermeerderde druk. H.A.U.M. v/h J. Dusseau & Co., Kaapstad.
1Lindenberg, E., et al. "Inleiding tot die Afrikaanse Letterkunde". Pretoria en Kaapstad: Vyfde uitgawe, 1980.
[wysig] Eksterne skakels
Afrikaans poet and author of essays, drama and literary reviews
Extraordinary professor, Stellenbosch University, 1919 - 1929
Jan Francois Elias was born on 12 Januarie 1865 on the farm Wagenmakersvallei near Wellington. A few years later his family moved to Cape Town where he attended an English school.
In 1874 the family moved to Pretoria, where his father had founded
De Volksstem a year earlier. Here he first attended an English school and then
Meneer Dely se skool op Kerkplein. It was closed down in 1877 when England annexed Pretoria. After one year's work at his father's newspaper he went on to school in Stellenbosch and Wellington.
He first worked as a surveyor for one year. He then joined the Department of Education and after three years obtained the post as State Librarian in 1894.
The second Boer war broke out, Jan Celliers fought near Colesberg to the bitter end. After the war he managed to slip through the enemy lines dressed in clothes of his wife. He moved with his family to Europe where he studied Literature.
Back in South Africa in 1907 he was employed at the Department of Home affairs. For ten years he did mainly translations of utterly boring texts.
Fortunately the University of Stellenbosch offered him the post of extraordinary professor in 1919. He stayed here until his retirement in 1929 when he moved to Cape Town. Jan Celliers died on 1 June 1940 in Johannesburg.
Awards:
Honorary member of SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns 1930
Besondere Erepenning vir Afrikaanse Letterkunde 1935
List of works:
Oorlogsdagboek (1899-1902)
Die Brandwag
1905: Ons leesboek voor oud en jong
(was published again in 1920 and used at schools)
1908: Die vlakte en ander gedigte
1909: Liefde en plig
1910: Unie kantate
1911: Martjie
1918: Die Saaier en ander nuwe gedigte
1920: Jopie Fourie en ander nuwe gedigte
Die rivier
1922: Reg bo reg, of, Die doel heilig die middele
1923: Die lewenstuin en ander gedigte
1924: Liefdelewe
1924: Ou Gawie en ander verhale en sketse
1924: Die groot geheim
1933: Kuns in lewe en kultuur
