Born in Riversdale in the southern Cape, Dalene Matthee studied music, and was a staunch conservationist, particularly regarding the reckless destruction of indigenous forests, with specific affection for the Knysna elephants, the “forest people” and the yellowwoods. She swapped the piano for the pen with no less than 13 literary works coming from it. The roots of her “forest novels” are deeply entrenched in the upbringing of Afrikaans youth and South African literature. With Circles in a Forest reprinted 22 times, her works were translated into 14 languages and won numerous literary awards. She’s the only Afrikaans author who has…
