Abstract:
Following a definition of "war poetry", war poetry in Afrikaans is briefly discussed as background to Jan Celliers's poetry. Within the context of the concepts "representation" and "cultural identity", which are explained in broad terms, the article focuses on the sequence entitled "Oorlog" (War) from Celliers's collection, Die vlakte en ander gedigte (The plains and other poetry) (1908). Special attention is paid to the way "Afrikaner" men and women are represented and the role certain stereotypes and myths about masculinity, femininity, the Voortrekkers and freedom play in the construction of an "Afrikaner" cultural identity, in particular by the so-called in-group. The poems "Trou" (Faithfulness) and "Die Boerevrou" (The Boer wife), from the same collection, are also discussed as well as "Generaal De Wet" (General De Wet) from Die lewenstuin en ander nuwe gedigte (The Garden of Life and other new poems) (1925). It is shown that the same reality and subject model is confirmed and strengthened. In the last part of the article three poetic representations of President Paul Kruger are analysed and interpreted as "beeldgedigte" (poems based on visual works of art): by Celliers, J.R.L. van Bruggen and Toon van den Heever. Throughout the article the functions of the speakers / narrators and focalizers and phenomena like intertextuality, rhetorical questions and parallelism are pointed out where applicable with reference to representation and cultural identity. The need for further research on these topics as (part of) "inventing a future for literary studies" is also stressed.
