† Pieter Jacobus Conradie: 7 February 1931 – 21 November 2021

South African Classics is the poorer with the passing, in his ninety-first year, of Piet Conradie, professor emeritus of Greek at Stellenbosch, doyen of scholarly reception studies of Greek drama in South Africa, but also the kindly and beloved “Piet Grieks” to generations of Dutch Reformed theological students at Stellenbosch.

After one year at the University of Cape Town, Conradie transferred to Stellenbosch, achieving a BA degree cum laude (Greek and Latin, with minors in History and Afrikaans) in 1950, and continuing immediately with his graduate studies (1951), while also embarking on a first stint of teaching.

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We advertise a new novel by Professor Emeritus David Pike.

Synopsis: Two women commit suicide nearly 3000 years apart, one in ancient Carthage (in Tunisia), one in South Africa in the very violent year 1989; and the events leading up to and following the two suicides are portrayed. There are two story-lines: the modern South African one and the Carthaginian one, the latter written by one of the modern characters (so there is a novel-within-the-novel, with the two story-lines intertwining with each other).

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Classicists in South Africa, especially those connected to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, will be saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Ann Moreton Delany (12 September 1945 – 31 December 2021).

Ann completed her BA degree at Trinity College, Dublin, graduating in 1968. She then moved to South Africa in 1969. After raising a family she returned to her studies and obtained her Honours degree in 1991, a Masters in 1994, writing a thesis on Tacitus’ portrayal of women in the Annals under the supervision of Mrs Anne Gosling, and finally a PhD also at the University of Natal on women in the Histories of Herodotus in 2001 under the supervision of Prof.

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We are pleased to announce that the winner of this year’s Essay Competition is Thomas Stranex (University of Cape Town) for an essay titled ‘Is it fair to say that Reason triumphs in Sophocles’ Ajax?’.

The adjudicators were pleased with the high standard of work submitted this year and considerable deliberation was needed before the winning essay could be identified.