Rachelle Greeff
Biographical info

Rachelle Nelia Greeff was born on 31 August 1957 in Bellville. She matriculated at Zwaanswyk High School and obtained a BDrama degree and an honours degree in journalism (cum laude) at Stellenbosch University. She then worked at NG Kerk Publishers, Die Burger and Die Huisgenoot. Since 1986 she has been working as a freelance journalist and has contributed to among others Sarie, Wynboer, De Kat and Mail & Guardian. Since 2006 she has been the book editor at Rapport.

She made her debut in 1990 with a collection of short stories, Die rugkant van die bruid, and received the CNA Debut Prize. In 1999 she received an M-Net bursary to complete a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Cape Town under guidance of Etienne van Heerden. The result was the novel Hanna, which was published in 2002. Rachelle received the RAU Prize for Creative Writing in 2002 for her short story collection Merke van die nag. Some of her short stories were included in anthologies that appeared in America (New letters), Belgium (Deus ex machina), Denmark (Opbrud) and the Netherlands (Dochters van Afrika).

Did you know?  

• She received the Sanlam Literary Award in 1999 for the short story “Tell him it is never too late”, and the same short story was shortlisted in 2003 for the Caine Prize for an English short story written and published by an African writer in Africa or elsewhere. It originally appeared in The torn veil – women’s short stories from the continent Africa (1998).
• In 2005 Rachelle won the Stellenbosch Woordfees, Protea Book House and LitNet's national short story competition with her story “Swiets in Rhodesië”.
• Rachelle's play, Die naaimasjien, with which she won the Nagtegaal Teksprys competition in 2008, originated from a short story.

Author bookshelf

Alles behalwe die geheim van my whiskies, Human & Rousseau (2008)
Palazzo van die laaste dans, Kwela (2006)
Hanna, Tafelberg (2002)
Merke van die nag, Tafelberg (2001)

Awards

CNA Debut Prize (1991) – Die rugkant van die bruid
Sanlam Literature Prize (1999) – For the short story “Tell him it is never too late”
ATKV Children’s Book Prize 3-5 years (2000) – Net perfek
RAU Prize for creative writing (2002) – Merke van die nag
Winner of the Woordfees’ national Afrikaans short story competision (2005) – For her short story “Swiets in Rhodesië”.
Nagtegaal Prize (2008) – For her play Die naaimasjien

List of titles

Prose
1990 Die rugkant van die bruid (short stories)
1993 Onwaarskynlike engele (short stories)
1996 Al die windrigtings van my wêreld (novel)
1998 Spektakels en mirakels (compilation of her columns)
2001 Merke van die nag (short stories)
2002 Hanna (novel)
2006 Palazzo van die laaste dans (short stories)
2008 Alles behalwe die geheim van my whiskies (compilation of her columns)

Children’s books
1996 Enebene en die ander (’n Ster storie)
1999 Net perfek
2004 ’n Ma moet soms jok (Rimpelstories)

Compiler
1993 Veerkrag
1994 Lyfspel/Bodyplay: erotiese kortverhale deur Suid-Afrikaanse vroue

Anthologies
1991 Vuurslag
1992 Die wond en ander verhale
1994 Vrouevertellers
1998 The torn veil
1998 Borde, borde, boordevol
1999 Die mooiste liefde is verby
1999 Vonkfiksie

Translations

Al die windrigtings van my wêreld (1996)  

• German (Wohin der wind dich trägt, 1999), Dutch (Alle windrichtingen van mijn leven, 2002; Het huis aan de voet van de Tafelberg, 2004)

Reviews

“A story that explores the shadows and woundedness, the hidden desires and silent violence of life in movingly poetic prose.” – Cape Times on Hanna (2003)

“The collection forms a unity which firstly tells about scars: in friendship, marriage and in the relationship between parent and child. It also narrates loss, passion, longing and unfulfilled love. It is a story of South Africa, where you are robbed and your privacy is intruded upon.” – Ampie Coetzee on Merke van die nag