author
Totius
1877–1953
A key voice in early Afrikaans literature, this South African poet and theologian helped shape the language on the page and in worship. His poems are remembered for their quiet feeling, religious depth, and strong sense of place.
2 Audiobooks
Digters uit Suid-Afrika Bloemlesing uit die poësie van die Twede Afrikaanse-Taalbeweging
by Jan F. E. (Jan François Elias) Celliers, C. Louis (Christiaan Louis) Leipoldt, Daniel François Malherbe, Totius
About the author
Born in Paarl in 1877, Jacob Daniël du Toit wrote under the name Totius. He was the son of Stephanus Jacobus du Toit, an important figure in the early Afrikaans language movement, and he grew up in a world where language, religion, and public life were closely connected.
Totius became a minister, theologian, translator, and professor, but he is especially remembered as one of the major early poets in Afrikaans. He studied theology in South Africa and later earned a doctorate in Amsterdam. Alongside his literary work, he played a major part in Afrikaans Bible translation and compiled an Afrikaans Psalter published in 1936, a work praised for its poetic quality.
His writing often brings together personal sorrow, faith, and the South African landscape in a direct, unshowy style. He died in Pretoria in 1953, and his work remains closely tied to the growth of Afrikaans literature and religious writing.