Carel van der Merwe is a South African author, historian and businessman who writes in Afrikaans and English. He has been awarded a number of literary prizes for his fiction and non-fiction books.

Life and career

Van der Merwe was born on 7 September 1963 in Johannesburg.“Carel van der Merwe”. Stellenbosch Writers database. Retrieved 21 April 2022 His father, Carel van der Merwe (1936–2016), was managing director of the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Ltd.“Black future for the IDC”. (30 September 1994). Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2022 During his youth Van der Merwe attended various schools in South Africa and Germany, and matriculated in 1981 at Linden High School in Johannesburg. Following his compulsory military service he studied at Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town, where he obtained undergraduate and post-graduate business degrees. He qualified as a chartered accountant, and worked for the international auditing firm Arthur Andersen & Co in Johannesburg and London until 1991.“Carel van der Merwe”. Stellenbosch Writers database. Retrieved 21 April 2022

In 1991 he joined Rand Merchant Bank Ltd in Johannesburg, and in 1995 he co-founded African Merchant Bank Ltd. In 2000 Van der Merwe relocated to London to serve as an executive director (mergers and acquisitions) of Comparex Limited, an international IT company.Scott, Iain (15 Jun 2001). “Comparex director resigns”. Itweb. Retrieved 22 April 2022 Whilst living in London he completed his part-time MA in Writing at Middlesex University, graduating with distinction in 2005. In 2006 relocated to Stellenbosch, South Africa's oldest town. He is currently chairman of the Stellenbosch Heritage Trust, which owns and manages a portfolio of historic buildings.“Stellenbosch Heritage Trust – Die trustees”. Retrieved 21 April 2022 He is also a director of AMB Capital Ltd, the successor of AMB.“AMB Capital: Who we are”. Retrieved 21 April 2022 In 2018 he obtained a Phd in History at Stellenbosch University.“Stellenbosch author awarded book prize…again”. Matiemedia. Retrieved 19 April 2022 He has two daughters, Mieke and Emma.

Writing

Van der Merwe only started writing in his early forties. In 2004 he published his first short story, The Water Mountains, in a UK short story collection. In 2007 he published his debut novels, No Man's Land and Nasleep, written by him in English and Afrikaans respectively. No Man's Land was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize“SA Writers on Commonwealth prize shortlist”. (27 February 2008). The Witness. Retrieved 21 April 2022 as well as the M-Net Literary Awards,M-Net Literary Awards. Wikipedia. Retrieved 21 April 2022 and Nasleep for the UJ Literary Prize.“Carel van der Merwe”. Stellenbosch Writers database. Retrieved 21 April 2022

Van der Merwe also wrote his next novel in English and Afrikaans, and Shark and Geldwolf were published in 2009. Geldwolf was shortlisted for the M-Net Literary Awards (film category),Du Toit, Liesl (28 June 2010). “Kortlys vir vanjaar se M-Net Literêre Toekennings”. Sarie. Retrieved 21 April 2022 and awarded the Eugène Marais Prize by the South African Academy for Arts and Science.“Eugène Marais Prize”. Wikipedia. Retrieved 21 April 2022

In 2012 his third novel was published, once again written by him English and Afrikaans, as Shadow and Skaduwee respectively.

In 2015 he published Donker Stroom - Eugène Marais en die Anglo-Boereoorlog, a biography of the famous South African poet and naturalist Eugène Marais. It was awarded the KykNET-Rapport Prize (non-fiction),“Wenners van die KykNET-Rapport-boekpryse vir 2016 bekend” (24 September 2016). Litnet. Retrieved 22 April 2022 as well as the Protea Boekhuis Prize“Protea Boekhuisprys”. Wikipedia. Retrieved 22 April 2022 and the L.W. Hiemstra Prize by the South African Academy for Arts and Sciences.“Akademiepryse 2017: LW Hiemstraprys vir niefiksie aan Carel van der Merwe.” (23 Junie 2017). Retrieved 22 April 2022 It was also short-listed for the South African Literary Awards (non-fiction) award.“Book awards: South African Literary Awards Nominees.” LibraryThing. Retrieved 22 April 2022

In 2019 Van der Merwe published Kansvatter: Die rustelose lewe van Ben Viljoen, a biography of Ben Viljoen, an enigmatic Boer War general. It was awarded the KykNET-Rapport Book prize (non-fiction),“kykNET-Rapport-boekpryse 2020: wenners aangekondig.” (19 September 2019). Litnet. Retrieved 22 April 2022 the ATKV Book prize (non-fiction),“ATKV-Woordveertjie vir prosa, niefiksie en spanningslektuur”. (23 October 2020). Litnet. Retrieved 22 April 2022 as well as the Protea Boekhuis Prize by the South African Academy for Arts and Sciences.“Hulle wen Akademiepryse vir uitnemendheid”. (22 April 2022). netwerk24.com. Retrieved 23 April 2022 It was also shortlisted for the South African Literary Awards (non-fiction) award.“Hier is die SALA benoemings”. (7 Oktober 2020). netwerk24.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022

In 2026 Van der Merwe published his fourth novel, Die Serwier, in Afrikaans. It is a literary thriller set in Serbia and South Africa. Major Viktor Vesić, a Serbian spy, is sent to South Africa to investigate the murder of a fellow agent. A reviewer stated that "this form of realism that so convincingly leads to blood and drama has something of John le Carré's espionage novels in its sinews."Laubscher, Martin (25 May 2026). "'n Goudstandaard van spanning in 'Serwiër'". netwerk24.com. Retrieved 6 June 2026

Works

TitleYearISBNNo Man's Land2007 Nasleep2007 Nasleep - Dutch translation by Riet de Jong-Goossens2007 Shark2009 Geldwolf2009 Shadow2012 Skaduwee2012 Donker Stroom – Eugène Marais en die Anglo-Boereoorlog2015 Kansvatter - Die rustelose lewe van Ben Viljoen2019 Die Serwiër2026

Nominations and awards

Van der Merwe's books have been shortlisted for various literary awards such as the Commonwealth Writer's Prize, the South African Literary Awards Creative Non-Fiction Award, the UJ Literary Prize and the M-Net Literary Prize. He has also been awarded the following literary prizes:

YearAwardBook2010Eugène Marais PrizeGeldwolf2016KykNET-Rapport Book Prize (non-fiction)Donker Stroom2016Protea Boekhuis PrizeDonker Stroom2017LW Hiemstra PrizeDonker Stroom2020KykNET-Rapport Book Prize (non-fiction)Kansvatter2020ATKV Book Prize (non-fiction)Kansvatter2022Protea Boekhuis PrizeKansvatter

References