Breyten Breytenbach
Breyten Breytenbach
Breyten Breytenbachis a South African writer and painter of great eminence. He is informally considered as the national poet laureate by Afrikaans-speaking South Africans of the region. He also holds French citizenship...
NationalitySouth African
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth16 September 1939
confused saws disorder
I came, I saw, I was confused.
capable deeply knowledge saying
I'm not saying that we are capable of that horror, but the knowledge of it is probably something that is very deeply part of all of us.
anguished bush hearts imagine majority represents tragic
It would be a tragic mistake for us out here to imagine that Bush represents the hearts and the minds of the majority of your countrymen. Many of your black and other compatriots must be just as anguished as we are.
accounts agencies hitting nobody perceived protect restraint
Dangerous because your present Administration and its specialized agencies by all accounts know no restraint in hitting out at any perceived enemy of America, and nobody or nothing can protect one from their vindictiveness.
abnormal brought conditions criteria extreme human kick precisely
It may be an extreme example brought about by abnormal circumstances - but the criteria of human rights kick in, surely, precisely when the conditions are extreme and the situation is abnormal.
america goal ungrateful
The goal, I submit, is obvious: subjugating the world (which is barbarian, dangerous, envious and ungrateful) to US power for the sake of America's interests.
art art-of-living
Americans have mastered the art of living with the unacceptable.
writing thinking curious
I think it's an area that one writes from that is curious because it is not a clearly defined partisan one.
rights government yardsticks
The predominant yardstick of your government is not human rights but national interests.
powerful war mind
Better still - your history has shown how powerful a moral catharsis expressed through popular resistance to injustice can sometimes be; I have in mind the grassroots opposition to the Vietnam War.
night our-world earth
The world, our world, has existed since night of time, yet every day we must recreate it. If we did not walk upon the earth, it would not exist.
reality spotlight opaque
In reality the workings of your governing system are opaque and covert, while hiding in the chattering spotlight of an ostensible transparency, even though the ultimate objective is clear.
ivory-tower towers needs
Even ivory towers need central heating.
dancing enemy steps
In dancing with the enemy one follows his steps even if counting under one's breath.