Abstract

COMBRINK, Anneretha; GREYLING, Franci  and  DU PLESSIS, Hans. From the point of view of an outsider: The role of identity and space in the development of a community specific youth novella. Tydskr. letterkd. [online]. 2008, vol.45, n.2, pp.32-47. ISSN 2309-9070.

The reading habits (or lack thereof) of adolescents in South Africa, like those in the rest of the world, are reason for concern. The fact that adolescents read distressingly little can be attributed to different reasons. It may be because of a lack of skill and interest, or because there is a dearth of texts with which they can identify. If more texts were created in which adolescents can identify with the spaces and identities portrayed, the reading statistics in South Africa may shift positively. However, at present not all communities and voices in the country are represented by a diversity of writers, especially writers of youth literature. In the Afrikaans speaking coloured community of Promosa, Potchefstroom, the same tendency is found. Although it is ideal that these communities should be represented by their own writers, who know them best, this is not always the case. Is it therefore possible for an outsider to create a youth novel for a specific target group with which they (the adolescents of Promosa) will identify?

Keywords : identity; space; community; youth novella.

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