Breyten Breytenbach, Anti-Apartheid Icon and Renowned Writer, Dies at 85

The South African poet, painter, and activist spent his life fighting apartheid, enduring years of imprisonment and exile while creating a celebrated body of work.

Breyten Breytenbach, a prominent South African poet, writer, and painter, passed away peacefully in Paris at the age of 85, as confirmed by his daughter.
A vocal opponent of apartheid, Breytenbach was imprisoned for seven years, including two in solitary confinement, after a clandestine return to South Africa in 1975 under a false identity.
His acclaimed 1984 prison memoir, 'The True Confession of an Albino Terrorist,' captures the harrowing experiences of his incarceration and the brutalities of apartheid-era South Africa.
Naturalized as a French citizen in 1982 following his release, Breytenbach continued to advocate for human rights while producing over 50 works of literature, primarily in Afrikaans and English, and exhibiting his art internationally.
Despite his contributions to South Africa's liberation, Breytenbach remained critical of the nation's post-apartheid leadership, lamenting corruption and inequality in the 'rainbow nation.'

BBC

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung