South African Literary Awards (SALA)
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (2011) Winner
Phillippa Yaa de Villiers
フィリッパ・ヤア・デ・ヴィリエ
Firippa Yaa de Virie
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1966-02-17 （Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa）
- Nationality
- South Africa
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Johannesburg → Grahamstown → Paris → Los Angeles
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Performance artist, Scriptwriter, University lecturer
- Active Years
- 1990-2024
- Affiliations
- University of the Witwatersrand
- Memberships
- African Poetry Book Fund (editorial board)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodes University | — | Journalism | — | — | South Africa |
| University of the Witwatersrand | — | Dramatic Art and Scriptwriting | Honours | — | South Africa |
| Lecoq International School of Theatre | — | Mime and theatre | — | — | France |
| Lancaster University | — | Creative Writing | MA | — | United Kingdom |
Rhodes University
Journalism
Country:
South Africa
University of the Witwatersrand
Dramatic Art and Scriptwriting
Degree:
Honours
Country:
South Africa
Lecoq International School of Theatre
Mime and theatre
Country:
France
Lancaster University
Creative Writing
Degree:
MA
Year of Graduation:
2014
Country:
United Kingdom
with distinction
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | National Arts Festival/de Buren Writing Beyond the Fringe Prize | — | — | National Arts Festival | Winner |
| 2011 | South African Literary Award | The Everyday Wife | Poetry | — | Winner |
National Arts Festival/de Buren Writing Beyond the Fringe Prize
2009
Organization:
National Arts Festival
Result:
Winner
South African Literary Award
2011
Work:
The Everyday Wife
Category:
Poetry
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Taller Than Buildings
2006 PoetryAn extraordinary debut collection of poetry, that is provocative and original, mirroring the transitions of self and country.
identityrace
The Everyday Wife
2010 PoetrySilence-smashing poems that are sensitive, unafraid to be erotic, sometimes tragic, and always irreverent.
racesexualityclassgender
ice cream headache in my bone
2017 PoetryThe collection is dotted like gemstones with poems of delight at the world, even as she never loses sight of the post-industrial reality of degenerating modernity in which we live.
modernitydelight
Bibliography
- Taller Than Buildings
- The Everyday Wife
- ice cream headache in my bone
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- provocativeoriginaleroticirreverent
- Recurring Motifs
- racesexualityclassgenderidentity
Health
-
Bell's palsyキャリア初期sent her towards writing as an alternative career
Legacy
Noted South African poet and performance artist exploring race, identity, sexuality, class, and gender in the South African context.
Quotes
-
I became Phillippa Yaa when I found my biological father, who told me that if he had been there when I was born, the first name I'd have been given would be a day name like all Ghanaian babies, and all Thursday girls are Yaa, Yawo, or Yaya. So by changing my name I intended to inscribe a feeling of belonging and also one of pride on my African side.
Source: Autobiographical statement -
Because I wasn't told that I was adopted until I was twenty, I lacked a vocabulary to describe who I am and where I come from, so performing and writing became ways to make myself up.
Source: Interview
Trivia
- Adopted at nine months by a white family and not told until age 20.
- Biological mother Australian, father Ghanaian adopted and raised by a white family.