Antjie Krog in conversation with Marijke Schermer

Antjie Krog is one of South Africa’s most celebrated authors.
At the age of seventeen, she made her debut with the poetry collection Daughter of Jephthah, the beginning of a versatile and much-awarded body of work. Her perspective on and portrayal of South Africa and femininity resonates with audiences around the world.

At Crossing Border, Antjie Krog discusses her debut novel Blood’s Inner Rhyme. It tells the story of the relationship between mother and daughter, Krog’s most personal and at the same time most universal book. It explores cultural heritage, land ownership, ancestral ties, interracial love relationships, and stories about the Boer War.

About Blood’s inner Rhyme
When her mother becomes seriously ill, Antjie Krog returns to her birthplace in the Free State province after a year’s absence. More deeply than ever, Krog feels connected to the woman who gave her life, and to her roots. Nevertheless, mother and daughter, both writers, sometimes seem as different as night and day. In touching exchanges of letters, the two challenge each other to understand one another’s circumstances and worlds. And so it becomes clear that the history of their motherland may well be the most defining factor in their lives.