"Murder most foul": Relaas van 'n moord van Antjie Krog

Abstract

Antjie Krog is one of the most prominent figures on the Afrikaans literary stage. In her oeuvre the striving for wholeness and healing, both in the personal-intimate and in the public-political domain is paramount. Relaas van 'n moord (1995) is Krog's first work of prose. This largely neglected booklet can be considered as her mission statement as it spells out the moral values and the ethical principles which govern Krog's life and literary work. Antjie Krog does not provide a detailed account of the murder of the Wheetie, in which she got implicated against her will, but she focuses on the impact of the murder on herself. The structure, the style and the selective presentation of the information make it clear that Relaas van 'n moord provides a subjective account of the events surrounding the murder. This allows Krog to clarify her own moral values, which are heavily indebted to Albert Camus and more in particular to the latter's L'Homme révolté (1951). As a result of her insistence on maintaining and defending basic human values Antjie Krog's public defeat is turned into a personal victory. She has retained her integrity and moral authority, which allows her continued involvement, both as a writer and an activist, in the political and social transformation processes in South Africa.