Draft:William Stephen Humphries du Randt

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William Stephen Humphries du Randt

Early Life and Education

William Stephen Humphries du Randt (often known as Humphrey du Randt) was born on 23 December 1936 in the town of Adelaide, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He completed his secondary schooling at Adelaide High School, matriculating in 1952 at the age of 15. After working as a bank clerk and a justice department staffer in his youth, he enrolled at the University of Pretoria in 1958 to pursue higher education while working part-time. Du Randt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960, majoring in Afrikaans-Nederlands (Afrikaans/Dutch), English, and Sociology. He continued at Pretoria to complete a B.A. Honours in Afrikaans and Nederlands in 1961 (cum laude), followed by a Master of Arts (cum laude) and a Higher Education Diploma (cum laude). In 1965, he attained a Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) degree at the University of Pretoria with a dissertation on the Afrikaans poet Eugène N. Marais.

Academic Career

Du Randt began his academic career in the early 1960s. He worked as a researcher in the Bureau of Education and Social Research (later part of the Human Sciences Research Council) in 1963. He then held lectureships at the University of Zululand (1964) and the Johannesburg School of Art (1965), teaching language and literature courses. In 1966 he returned to his alma mater, the University of Pretoria, as a junior lecturer in Afrikaans and Dutch literature.

In 1970, du Randt was appointed as a Professor of Literature at the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE). At UPE, he taught Afrikaans and Nederlands (Dutch) literature and soon became a prominent figure in the department. He served as a full professor at UPE from 1970 until his retirement in 1992. During these two decades, du Randt not only lectured and mentored students in Afrikaans and Dutch literary studies, but also took on various administrative and leadership roles. He chaired the UPE Teachers’ Association and sat on the university’s Research Committee for Languages and Music. He was also the founding chair of the C.J. Langenhoven Prestige Lecture committee, helping to organize an annual public lecture series honoring the famed Afrikaans writer C.J. Langenhoven.

As a respected senior scholar, Prof. du Randt was active in broader academic circles. He served on the executive board of the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (South African Academy for Science and Arts). He additionally was a member of an advisory committee for Middle Dutch texts under the National Research Institute for Mathematical and Computer Sciences (later the HSRC), reflecting his expertise bridging historical Dutch literature and Afrikaans. In August 1975, du Randt delivered his inaugural professorial lecture at UPE, titled “Die stem van die Afrikaner” (“The Voice of the Afrikaner”), which was later published by the university.

Research and Literary Contributions

Throughout his career, W.S.H. du Randt was known for his scholarly contributions to Afrikaans literature studies, particularly his research on the life and works of Eugène Marais, a major Afrikaans poet, author, and naturalist. Du Randt’s doctoral thesis, “Eugène Marais as ’n ‘Duister’ kunstenaar” (Eugène Marais as a “dark” artist), completed in 1965, was one of the early comprehensive studies of Marais’s literary themes. He expanded this research into a book, “Eugène N. Marais as prosaïs”, published in 1969. In this work he analyzed Marais’s prose style and contributions to Afrikaans narrative literature. Du Randt also compiled and edited a collection of Marais’s short stories, “Die stem van die storieverteller: Verhale van Eugène N. Marais”, first published in 1970. These publications established du Randt as an authority on Marais and enriched the scholarship on early 20th-century Afrikaans literature.

Beyond his focus on Marais, du Randt’s research interests spanned narrative techniques and Afrikaans poetry. He wrote critical essays on storytelling and narration in Afrikaans prose; for example, he examined the role of the narrator in works like “Burgers van die Berge” in a 1968 article. He also explored Afrikaans folklore and “dwaalstories” (tall tales or ghost stories) in essays published in the journal Standpunte. As an educator, he contributed to literary pedagogy: in 1977, he produced a workbook titled “Die kontekstuele vraag: ’n werkboek vir die Afrikaanse poësie” (“The Contextual Question: a Workbook for Afrikaans Poetry”), which guided students in the contextual analysis of poems. This reflects his dedication to improving how Afrikaans literature was taught at school and university levels.

Du Randt was a prolific writer, authoring or editing roughly 70 books and monographs, along with over 40 scholarly articles during his career. His academic articles appeared in reputable journals such as Tydskrif vir Letterkunde and Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, and he frequently contributed essays, reviews and columns to Afrikaans literary magazines like Standpunte. In addition to formal scholarship, he occasionally wrote and published poetry; some of his poems were featured in journals like Standpunte and Tydskrif vir Letterkunde, showcasing his creative engagement with the Afrikaans language.

Later Life, Public Engagement and Legacy

Even after his retirement, Humphrey du Randt remained active in South Africa’s literary discourse. He regularly penned opinion pieces and letters on cultural and literary topics for newspapers and online platforms. For example, he wrote a commentary on author André P. Brink titled “Hoe kaler jonker, hoe groter pronker” (“The barer the young man, the greater the show-off”) which was published in the Afrikaans newspaper Rapport in March 2009. In the early 2010s, he became a contributor to the Afrikaans online journal LitNet, where he published a series of lively letters and essays. His pieces on LitNet — with playful titles like “Kat-astrofe” and “Braaivleis bederwery” — offered witty observations on literature, language, and South African society. He even explored historical and genealogical topics, as seen in a 2013 LitNet article tracing tennis champion Roger Federer’s South African Huguenot ancestry. Du Randt’s ability to engage both academic audiences and general readers underscored his role as a public intellectual in the Afrikaans community.

Over a long career, du Randt’s contributions earned him respect in South African academia. He helped shape the study of Afrikaans literature at a critical time (during the apartheid and early post-apartheid eras) by fostering open inquiry and resisting political interference in academic matters. Colleagues and former students have described him as an erudite and principled scholar who was passionate about the Afrikaans language. In recognition of his standing, he was made a Fellow of the South African Academy for Science and Arts, an honor reserved for those who significantly advance scholarship in Afrikaans.

Du Randt’s legacy in South African literature is evident in the foundational research he conducted on key Afrikaans literary figures and the many publications he leaves behind. His work on Eugène Marais, in particular, continues to be cited by literary historians, and his approach to contextual literary analysis has influenced Afrikaans literary curricula.

Personal Life

In 1957, William du Randt married Adelai van der Vyver. The couple remained together for 65 years and raised four children. Family was an important part of du Randt’s life; despite his busy academic career he was a devoted father and an avid sportsman in his younger years, known for his love of rugby and music. In his later years, he faced health challenges but continued writing and engaging with his intellectual passions. William Stephen Humphries du Randt passed away on 27 February 2023 at the age of 86. His death was noted in the Afrikaans press and by former students, who lauded his significant contributions to South African literature and academia.