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Ingrid Jonker Facts & Worksheets

Ingrid Jonker was a South African poet who wrote in Afrikaans and became iconic in post-apartheid South Africa for her dissident work and her turbulent life. Ingrid Jonker’s poems have been widely translated into other languages, including English, German, French, Polish, Dutch, Hindi, and Zulu.

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Ingrid Jonker was a South African poet who wrote in Afrikaans and became iconic in post-apartheid South Africa for her dissident work and her turbulent life, which she ended at 31 years old. Ingrid Jonker’s poems have been widely translated into other languages, including English, German, French, Polish, Dutch, Hindi, and Zulu. Her poetry collections include “Na die Somer” (“After the Summer” 1949), “Rook en Oker” (“Smoke and Ochre” 1963), and “Kantelson” (“Toppling Sun”), published posthumously in 1966.

See the fact file below for more information on Ingrid Jonker, or you can download our 28-page Ingrid Jonker worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY

  • Ingrid Jonker was born on September 19, 1933, on a farm in Douglas in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.
  • Her mother, Beatrice Cilliers, had been separated from her father, Abraham Jonker, before Ingrid was born.
  • Beatrice had also taken Jonkers older sister Anna with her.
  • Jonker’s father became a journalist in Cape Town and earned a doctorate in Afrikaans literature.
  • He also dedicated himself to literature and published books during the early 1930s.
  • After her parents’ divorce, Jonker was raised on her grandfather’s farm.
  • As recounted in Petrovna Metelerkamp’s illustrated biography “Ingrid Jonker: A Poet’s Life,” Ingrid recalled her childhood with her grandfather:

“At the time my father was not with the family and my grandfather Fanie Cilliers, a top joke teller, paralyzed and bedridden for 15 years, but the wittiest person I ever knew, ruled the house in his own exuberant way.”

  • She lived on a farm in Durbanville with her grandparents until she was about five years old.
  • Her grandfather died in 1938, and they subsequently moved to the Strand.
  • Under her grandmother’s care, Ingrid began writing poetry at the age of six.
  • Her father had sent them financial assistance every month.
  • In 1940, Jonker started to attend kindergarten in Gordon’s Bay.
  • At the time, her mother Beatrice had been suffering from mental illness and was later diagnosed with cancer.
  • This proved to be a traumatic time for Ingrid, who leaned on her grandmother for support.
  • Her mother died in 1943 when Jonker was 10 years old.
  • After their mother died, Jonker and Anna moved in with their father and his third wife, a children’s book author named Lulu Brewis, and their children.

LIFE WITH HER FATHER

  • Jonker and her sister permanently resided with their father and his family in Plumstead, Cape Town.
  • The sisters were treated as outsiders in the family and alienated by their stepmother.
  • Such treatment kept them from forming a close relationship with their father, in order to keep the peace in the house.
  • She and her sister were sent to Wynberg Girls’ High School in Cape Town, where the medium of instruction was in English rather than Afrikaans.
  • There, Jonker began writing poetry for the school magazine.
  • In 1949, at age 13, Ingrid completed her first poetry collection, “Na die somer” (“After the summer”).
  • Several publishers had wanted to publish her work at the time, but it took another seven years before her first collection was published.
  • Themes and images of despair were often found in her poetry, perhaps stemming from her turbulent childhood.
  • In 1951 Jonker decided to ask her father to allow her to move out with the help of her sister.
  • As written in “Ingrid Jonker: A Poet’s Life,” Anna recalled:

“So we said there might be room in the house, but there’s no room in the heart. Then he agreed that Ingrid could go and live in a room in the city.”

PUBLISHED WORK AND FAILED MARRIAGE

  • By the time she was 16 years old, Jonker had been in correspondence with prominent Afrikaans poet D.J. Opperman who became a major influence in her work.
  • At the time, the family magazine “Die Huisgenoot” (“Housemate”) was where Ingrid’s work was regularly published.
  • It was in 1956 when Jonker got her first poetry collection published, which was entitled “Ontvlugting” (“Escape”).
  • In the same year, she married Pieter Venter.
  • She was then working as a secretary and a publisher’s reader while writing her own poetry.
  • She gave birth to a girl and named her Simone in 1957.
  • Their family relocated to Johannesburg, and shortly after, she left her husband and moved back to Cape Town with her daughter.

SOUTH AFRICA IN THE 1950s and 1960s

  • Ingrid’s failed marriage was backdropped by the repressive socio-political landscape of South Africa defined by the apartheid in the  1950s and 1960s.
  • In 1956, 156 activists, including Nelson Mandela, were accused and charged with treason at the notorious Treason Trial.
  • Jonker lived in a time when South Africa saw the establishment of apartheid legislation and the rise of anti-apartheid organizations, such as the African National Congress (ANC).
  • On March 21, 1960, the Sharpeville massacre happened.
  • The incident occurred when police began shooting at a crowd of protesters, killing and wounding approximately 250 people.
  • In 1963, Jonker displayed her mastery of free verse and surrealistic imagery in the publication of her second collection of poems, “Rook en Oker” (“Smoke and Ochre”).
  • She earned critical acclaim for her work and won the prestigious Afrikaanse Pers-Boekhandel Prize.
  • She also won a scholarship from the Anglo-American Corporation, which enabled her to travel to England and other European countries such as the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Portugal.
  • However, Jonker’s father was not a fan of his daughter’s work.
  • He was a National Party Member of Parliament and the appointed chairperson of the parliamentary committee responsible for the apartheid laws of censorship in the fields of art, literature, and entertainment.
  • Jonker strongly opposed such censorship laws, causing a massive rift between them, and her father publicly denying his relationship with her. 

MEMBER OF DIE SESTIGERS

  • In the 1960s, Jonker became an active member of Die Sestigers (“The Sixtyers”), a dissident group of South African writers and poets who stood in opposition to the apartheid government.
  • Founded by André Brink and Breyten Breytenbach, the Sestigers included Adam Small, Bartho Smit, Reza de Wet, Etienne Leroux, and Jan Rabie, among others.
  • They were writers who were unafraid to embrace modern and secular themes and challenge the existing conservative norms at the time.

DEATH AND POSTHUMOUS WORK

  • Ingrid Jonker committed suicide by drowning at Three Anchor Bay in Cape Town on the night of July 19, 1965.
  • She died at 31 years old.
  • Shortly before her death, she had been working on a new collection of poems, published posthumously in “Kantelson” (“Tilting Sun”) in 1966.
  • The copyrights and control of Ingrid’s literary property were given by the Master of the Court to Jack Cope, who then established the Ingrid Jonker Trust.
  • Her daughter Simon remains the beneficiary of that Trust.
  • Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela read her poem “Die kind (wat doodgeskiet is deur soldate by Nyanga)” (“The child (who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga”) at his inauguration ceremony on May 24, 1994.

Ingrid Jonker Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Ingrid Jonker across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Ingrid Jonker. Ingrid Jonker’s poems have been widely translated into other languages, including English, German, French, Polish, Dutch, Hindi, and Zulu.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Ingrid Jonker Facts
  2. About Ingrid
  3. Poetry ABCs
  4. Arranging Life Events
  5. Verse Match
  6. Poem Interpretation
  7. According To Mandela
  8. African Pride
  9. The Sestigers
  10. 50’s and 6’0s Events
  11. Inspired by Ingrid

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Ingrid Jonker?

Ingrid Jonker (1933-1965) was a South African poet. She is considered one of the most prominent Afrikaans poets and is known for her poignant and powerful poetry.

What are some notable works by Ingrid Jonker?

Ingrid Jonker’s most famous collection of poetry is “Rook en Oker” (Smoke and Ochre), which was published in 1963. Her poems often explore themes of love, apartheid, and personal struggles.

How did Ingrid Jonker’s work contribute to South African literature?

Ingrid Jonker’s poetry played a significant role in South African literature. Her work expressed a deep empathy for the marginalized and oppressed, and her poignant verses captured the emotional and social realities of apartheid-era South Africa.

Did Ingrid Jonker receive recognition for her work during her lifetime?

While Ingrid Jonker received some recognition for her poetry during her lifetime, her true impact and legacy grew significantly after her tragic death. Her work continues to resonate with readers and has gained international acclaim over the years.

What was the significance of Ingrid Jonker’s relationship with Nelson Mandela?

Ingrid Jonker’s poem “Die Kind” (The Child) gained special significance when Nelson Mandela recited it during his inaugural address as the President of South Africa in 1994. Mandela’s recitation of the poem symbolized the healing and reconciliation efforts of post-apartheid South Africa.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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