Henriëtte Roos
Henriëtte Roos, current professor emerita and research fellow in Unisa’s Department of Afrikaans, has been selected as winner of the Gustav Preller Prize for Literature and Literary Criticism from the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns for her outstanding contributions to the theory of literature and literary criticism in Afrikaans.
Roos, the former Chair of Unisa’s Afrikaans department joins Prof Elize Botha – also a former Unisa academic – as the only two women to have received the prize in its 45- year history.
The Gustav Preller prize is awarded every three years and was established in 1968 on the initiative of the publishing firm Human and Rousseau. Honouring Gustav Preller (1875 – 1943), founding secretary of the academy, journalist, historian and critic, this prize replaced the old Stals Prize for Literary Theory, and acknowledges outstanding contributions to the theory of literature and literary criticism in Afrikaans.
Roos’s body of work speaks to that excellence, and she will receive her award in June this year. Her accomplishment, coupled with Botha’s in 1982, comes at an opportune time in Unisa’s history, as this year, the university acknowledges 140 years of shaping futures in Africa.
“I am very pleased and gratified by the recognition of my peers. My family and loved ones are also very happy for, and proud of me, although nobody are as exuberant as my two grandchildren, who exclaimed: ‘Now the family is really famous’,” says Roos.
She explains that she was unaware of her nomination or the person who had nominated her. “I think the candidates are nominated on the basis of a body of work – teaching, postgraduate supervision, publications and stature in this subject field achieved over the span of a career. In my case I have been involved in my field since 1972, first as a lecturer at the then University of Port Elizabeth, and had an uninterrupted career up to my retirement from Unisa in December 2010. As I have spent 30 years of my career at Unisa, my achievements naturally relate directly to my time spent at Unisa.
Roos’s achievements include, amongst others, author, co-author and contributor to 25 published books, author of 54 full-length articles in accredited journals and author of more than 65 book reviews or popular reports in newspapers, magazines and on television. She also regularly delivers papers at international conferences, speaks at book clubs and has been supervisor of more than 20 completed PhD and masters degrees.
Addressing why she believes only two women have received the prize, Roos said everything needs to be looked at in context. “This is essentially a prize recognising individual achievement, and in that sense gender is not an issue. I am absolutely convinced that through the years the decisions have been made based on individual merit without any gender bias. But I also think that it is more difficult for women to be candidates, as not many can devote (more than) 40 years to producing the required body of work – especially women of my generation and those of even earlier generations.
“Therefore the other female prize winner (1982), Prof Botha, who was also my PhD supervisor at the University of Pretoria and later colleague at Unisa, was truly an exceptional woman. To juggle the management of a household, professional work and intensive research leading to publication is an extremely difficult and demanding skill. Also, many senior women in academe progress to managerial positions and then the time and opportunity for intensive research activities become very limited. I, as well as Prof Botha, was also privileged to spend years studying at Dutch universities and be invited back to act as guest lecturers for extended periods, thus building professional and research networks. Not only is it difficult for many women because of their specific marital and parental responsibilities to gain this experience, but these opportunities have only in recent years again opened up as political circumstances have changed. But, at present more women are in leading positions in my field of expertise and I have no doubt that there will be more female prize winners in the near future.”
Having retired in 2010, Roos continues to work in this discipline she is so passionate about. She is currently busy with the proofs of two books to which she has contributed.
“I am also now doing research for a profile on the Flemish author Louis Paul Boon, which will be included in a new History of Dutch Literature intended for South African readers. As I am one of the vice-presidents of the UNESCO-based literary organisation Fédération Internationale des Langues et Littératures Modernes (FILLM), I am directly involved with the organisation of the next FILLM Congress that will be held in China in July 2014.
“This year I am also presenting the course on the Afrikaans novel to the honours students in the Department of Afrikaans at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) – a very stimulating and rewarding experience. I am also one of the judges on the panel selecting the winners of the two prizes for published Afrikaans literature presented annually by UJ. More than 70 submissions have been received and the deadline for decision is in June.”
In between all her academic post-retirement work, Roos prioritises her home, and loved ones, which include her four dogs, one cat, several goldfish and a plethora of wild birds. She is keen on movies and eating out, and, as a member of the Tshwane Heritage Society, she enjoys their regular visits to historical and cultural sites in this region of South Africa.
*Article by Rivonia Naidu-Hoffmeester
