Spore in die sand – ’n herbeskouing van die oeuvre van C.M. van den Heever

Footprints in the sand – a re-evaluation of C.M. van den Heever’s oeuvre C.M. van den Heever was a prominent Afrikaans writer in the period between 1930 and 1950. Since the 1960s the general opinion held by literary scholars has been that his work has become dated thematically as well as stylistically. In an essay, written in 1947, Van den Heever states and explains his poetical stance on some key issues such as the sources of his writing, the schism between romanticism and realism in his life and work, the importance of a vision of life in his work. The essay also contains some valuable indications of the philosophical influences on Van den Heever as a person and as a writer. In this article Van den Heever’s own views are compared to the views held by critics. The article indicates that Van den Heever consciously addressed exactly those problems that critics regard as shortcomings in his oeuvre. The article concludes that rereading older works of literature opens up new perspectives on the past and on older literary texts. Older literature also adds to the present because knowledge of the past contributes to an understanding of the present. In the final instance the statement is made that literature constitutes a link between past and present, and older literature lives on through rereadings by committed readers.