Donald Alasdair Calum Maclennan (9 December 1929 – 9 February 2009) was a South African poet, critic, playwright and English professor.
He published a number of plays, short stories, collections of poems and scholarly works.
Born on 9 December 1929, in London, England, Maclennan came to South Africa as a child in 1938. He was educated at Witwatersrand University and Edinburgh University."Maclennan, Donald (Alasdair Calum)" article, Student Encyclopedia of African Literature, by Douglas Killam, Alicia L. Kerfoot, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007 , retrieved via Google Books on 13 February 2009
Maclennan's academic career included lecturing at Wits University and the University of Cape Town.Loewe, Mike, "Poet and playwright Maclennan dies at 79", article, 12 February 2009, Independent Online website of the Independent newspaper, article "was originally published on page 9 of Cape Argus on February 12, 2009", according to the Web page, retrieved 13 February 2009 He taught in both South Africa and the United States."Prof Don A C MacLennan" at Rhodes University website, retrieved 13 February 2009 He began teaching at Rhodes University in 1966, teaching English there for more than 40 years, although he officially retired in 1994. In later years, he continued to teach at the university, giving weekly seminars for another decade."RIP Don Maclennan: 1929 – 2009. February 10th, 2009 by Ben – Editor", article at Book SA News website, retrieved 13 February 2009
In his final years, he self-published a number of works of poetry. In his last decade, Maclennan had motor-neuron disease. He suffered a stroke in January 2009, although his mind was not affected by it. He died on 9 February 2009, in Port Elizabeth.
Bibliography Years link to corresponding "[year] in poetry" article for poetry; for literature, to corresponding "[year] in literature" article:
Poetry 1971: In Memoriam Oskar Wolberheim, A.A. Balkema, combining Maclennan's poetry and the music of Norbert Nowotny 1977: Life Songs, Bateleur Press Bateleur Poets, "Bateleur Poets" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 1983: Reckonings, New Africa Books, "Reckonings" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 1988: Collecting Darkness, Justified Press, 1992: Letters: New Poems, Carrefour Press, "Letters: New Poems" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 1995: The Poetry Lesson: New Poems Snailpress, "The Poetry Lesson: New Poems" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 1997: Solstice: Poems, ,"Solstice: Poems" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 winner of South Africa's Sanlam Literary Award for 1997 1998: Of Women and Some Men with George Coutouvidis, Firfield Poetry Press, "Of Women and Some Men" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 2001: Notes from a Rhenish Mission, Firfield Press, "Notes from a Rhenish Mission" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 A Brief History of Madness in the Eastern Cape, with drawings by Siddis Firfield, Firfield Press, 2002: Rock paintings at Salem, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2002: The Road to Kromdraai, Publisher Snailpress, "The Road to Kromdraai" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 2003: The Dinner Party, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2003: A Letter to William Blake, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2003: Under Compassberg, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2004: Excavations, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2005: Reading the Signs, Carapace 2006: The necessary salt, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2006: Selected Poems, Quartz Press 2007: The owl of Minerva, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2008: Through a Glass Darkly, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2010: Dress Rehearsal, self-published, Rhodes University GSU 2012: Collected Poems, Print Matters Heritage Press (ed. Dan Wylie)
Other works An Enquiry into the Voyage of the Santiago, a play Job Mava, a play, written and performed in 1972/3 by The Ikhwezi Players, published 1981/2 My Childhood, adaptation of Maxim Gorky's play, performed in 1975 by The Ikhwezi Players 2004: Editor, with Malcolm Hacksley, A Ruthless Fidelity: Collected Poems of Douglas Livingstone, publisher: Ad Donker, "A Ruthless Fidelity: Collected Poems of Douglas Livingstone" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 Olive Schreiner and After: Essays on Southern African Literature in Honour of Guy Butler Publisher: D. Philip, "Olive Schreiner and After: Essays on Southern African Literature in Honour of Guy Butler" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009 Sarah Christie, Don Maclennan, Geoffrey Hutchings, Perspectives on South African Fiction, Publisher Ad. Donker, "Perspectives on South African Fiction" at BookFinder.com website, retrieved 13 February 2009
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