Work
C.J. Langenhoven's most famous work is the original South African Anthem Die Stem (i.e., "The Voice / The Call of South Africa") which he wrote in 1918. Parts of this anthem have been worked into the new national anthem since apartheid was abolished.
Aside from this, his writing career spanned almost every genre, from poetry to ghost and alien stories. Langenhoven also translated several works into Afrikaans, amongst these was the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. He created new Afrikaans proverbs and even wrote a love poem (albeit in nonsense verse) to his dog.
Langenhoven was instrumental in the movement for the acceptance of Afrikaans as a language, in general and as the first language in schools, instead of Dutch. This culminated in the language officially being used in parliament in 1925, and by 1927 was recognised as an official language of South Africa, together with English.
Read more about this topic: Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven
Famous quotes containing the word work:
“Making a logging-road in the Maine woods is called “swamping” it, and they who do the work are called “swampers.” I now perceived the fitness of the term. This was the most perfectly swamped of all the roads I ever saw. Nature must have coöperated with art here.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The complexion of the element
In favor’s like the work we have in hand,
Most bloody-fiery, and most terrible.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The fact is that all writers create their precursors. Their work modifies our conception of the past, just as it is bound to modify the future.”
—Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986)