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Mark Behr

マーク・ベール

Mark Behr

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1963-10-19 （Oljorro, Arusha Region, Tanganyika (now Tanzania)）
Died
2015-11-27 （Johannesburg, South Africa） age 52
Nationality
Tanzania, South Africa
Languages
English, Afrikaans
Religion
Dutch Reformed Church
Residence History
Tanzania (birthplace) → KwaZulu-Natal (early childhood) → Durban → Stellenbosch University (Western Cape) → Oslo → United States (University of Notre Dame, Rhodes College, etc.) → Johannesburg (later life)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Professor, Researcher
Active Years
1985-2015
Affiliations
Professor of English Literature and Creative Writing, Rhodes College, Instructor in MA program, University of the Witwatersrand, Research Fellow, International Peace Research Institute, Oslo, Worked with IDASA
Influenced By
Alice Walker (The Color Purple), Breyten Breytenbach, Antjie Krog, Antonio Gramsci, Judith Butler, Richard Rorty

Education

Stellenbosch University
Faculty of Arts / English and Politics
Degree: BA / Honours
Period: 1985–1989
Country: South Africa
Majored in English and Politics; creative work first published during this period.
University of Notre Dame
International Peace Studies / MA in International Peace Studies
Degree: MA
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: United States
Graduated 1993
University of Notre Dame
Fiction Writing / Master's program in Fiction Writing
Degree: MA
Year of Graduation: 1998
Country: United States
Master's degree in fiction writing
University of Notre Dame
English Literature / MA in English Literature
Degree: MA
Year of Graduation: 2000
Country: United States
Master's degree in English Literature

Awards

M-Net Award
Work: Die Reuk van Appels / The Smell of Apples
Organization: M-Net
Result: Winner
Eugene Marais Award
Work: Die Reuk van Appels / The Smell of Apples
Organization: Eugene Marais
Result: Winner
CNA Debut Literary Award
Work: Die Reuk van Appels / The Smell of Apples
Organization: CNA
Result: Winner
Betty Trask Award
1996
Work: The Smell of Apples
Category: Debut novel
Organization: Society of Authors (UK)
Result: Winner
Art Seidenbaum Award (Los Angeles Times)
1997
Work: The Smell of Apples
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: Winner
Steinbeck Award (shortlisted)
Work: The Smell of Apples
Organization: Steinbeck Award
Result: Shortlisted
Guardian Literary Award (shortlisted)
Work: The Smell of Apples
Organization: The Guardian
Result: Shortlisted
The Sunday Times Award (shortlisted)
2000
Work: Embrace
Organization: The Sunday Times (South Africa)
Result: Shortlisted
Encore Award (shortlisted)
Work: Embrace
Organization: Encore Award
Result: Shortlisted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Die Reuk van Appels / The Smell of Apples

1993 Novel (fiction)

Set against apartheid-era South Africa, the novel addresses authority, racism, family relations and masculinity. Through the narrator's perspective it explores how language and nationalism shape personal identity.

IdentityLanguageRacismMilitarisationMasculinity
Translations
  • English translation: The Smell of Apples (1995)

Embrace

2000 Novel (fiction)

Behr's second novel; a story where personal history and political memory intersect with desire and guilt, reflecting a critical engagement with aspects of the author's background.

MemoryGuiltDesirePolitical self-awareness

Kings of the Water

2009 Novel (fiction)

A novel about a man's return to his homeland and confrontation with a lost past. Praised for its poetic and unflinching portrayal of Afrikaner male psychology and transformation.

ReturnMemoryMasculinityNational identity

Bibliography

  • Die Reuk van Appels / The Smell of Apples
  • Embrace
  • Kings of the Water
  • Numerous short stories and essays (various journals and anthologies)

Translations of Works

  • The Smell of Apples has been translated into English and several other languages (noted as more than ten languages in total)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed psychological depictionMeasured, restrained narrative voiceSocially engaged criticism woven into narration
Recurring Motifs
Language and identityArmy and militarisationCrisis of masculinityMemory of nationalism

Health

  • Suspected heart attack
    2015
    Attributed to a suspected heart attack in 2015; sudden death in later life.

Legacy

Mark Behr is an important voice in post-apartheid South African literature, probing language, nationalism, militarisation and sexuality. His debut The Smell of Apples achieved international recognition and was translated into multiple languages. He also contributed to academic life and influenced younger writers and scholars.

Archives

  • Rhodes College archives (related materials)

Trivia

  • Born in Tanzania and raised in South Africa.
  • Conscripted into the South African Defence Force in youth and served in the Angolan conflict.
  • Publicly confessed to campus spying activities during his student years.
  • His major works have been translated into more than ten languages.
  • Died in Johannesburg in 2015 from a suspected heart attack.