François Bloemhof

Infobox Writer
name = François Bloemhof

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pseudonym = Leo Bekker
birthdate = birth date and age|1962|9|15
birthplace = Paarl, South Africa
occupation = Author, Copywriter, Film reviewer
nationality = South African
period =
genre =
subject =
movement =
notableworks =
influences =
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website = http://www.francoisbloemhof.net

François Bloemhof is a multiple prize-winning South African author, copywriter and film reviewer working primarily in the Afrikaans language.

Biography

François Bloemhof was born in the 1960s in Paarl. He made his debut on the South African literary scene in 1991 by winning the De Kat prize for his novel "Die nag het net een oog". His next three books were all thrillers of some sort, before he published largely unclassifiable works like "Storieboek", "Hostis" and "Klipgooi".

Because younger readers liked his books, he began to also write specifically for them, with such success that he became sidetracked for a while. He soon had a host of ATKV-Veertjies (a competition in which young readers select the winning books themselves) as well as prizes for the teenage market, including for "Slinger-slinger" and "Nie vir kinders nie" (in the Tafelberg/Sanlam Youth Literature Competition) and "Stad aan die einde van die wêreld" (in the Maskew Miller Longman Literary Competition).

After a five-year layoff from the adult fiction market, Bloemhof returned to the genre in which he started with "Spinnerak", featuring Alma van der Pool, the first ever female detective in Afrikaans fiction. She returned in "Jagseisoen" (2007).

With reference to a one-time comment by Alfred Hitchcock, Bloemhof has remarked: "Some people write slices of life. I've always preferred slices of cake."

Bibliography

For adults

* "Die nag het net een oog" (1991) ISBN 0-624-02996-4
* "Die duiwel se tuin" (1993) ISBN 0-624-02531-4
* "Koue soen" (1994) ISBN 0-624-03281-7
* "Bloedbroer" (1995) ISBN 0-624-03388-0
* "Storieboek" (1996) ISBN 0-7981-3625-1
* "Mooidraai Basuin" (1997) ISBN 0-7981-3672-3
* "Nagbesoeker" (1997) ISBN 0-7981-3724-X
* "Hostis" (1998) ISBN 1-874901-91-0
* "Klipgooi" (1999) ISBN 0-7981-3963-3
* "'n Tweede asem vir Jan A" (2001) ISBN 0-7981-4202-2
* "Spinnerak" (2006) ISBN 0-7993-3637-8
* "Jagseisoen" (2007) ISBN 978-7993-4013-6

For teenagers

* "Slinger-slinger" (1997) ISBN 9-780624-035404
* "Die wit huis" (1998) ISBN 0-628-03726-0
* "Die dae toe ek Elvis was" (2002) ISBN 9-780624-03858-0
* "Die dae toe ek Elvis was" (2005) ISBN 9-780624-04301-0
* "Nie vir kinders nie" (2005) ISBN 0-624-04306-1
* "Stad aan die einde van die wêreld" (2007) ISBN 978-0-636-08169-7

For young readers (aged 9 to 12)

* "Middernagland" (1996) ISBN 0-7981-3537-9
* "Die vrou met die pers oog" (1996) ISBN 0-7981-3589-1
* "Donkerwoud" (1996) ISBN 0-7981-3293-0
* "Die waterding" (1997) ISBN 0-7981-3681-2
* "Kamer 13" (1998) ISBN 0-7981-3784-3
* "Die speletjie" (1999) ISBN 0-7981-3807-6
* "Kry vir jou, ou Langklou" (2000) ISBN 0-7981-4060-7
* "Hospitaaltyd" (2002) ISBN 0-7981-4281-2
* "Agent Snoet en die botterdiamant" (2002) ISBN 0-7993-3035-3
* "Vampiere in Londen" (2004) ISBN 0-7981-4451-3
* "Agent Snoet en die kattekwaad" (2005) ISBN 0-7993-3508-8
* "Rillers-omnibus" (2006) ISBN 978-0-7981-4617-3
* "Agent Snoet en die hondelewe" (2007)

For young readers (aged 7 to 9)

* "Die dom towenaar" (1994) ISBN 0-7021-3301-9
* "Sakkie en die Toffiewolf" (1994) ISBN 0-7021-3300-0
* "Dinnie Kaboef" (1997) ISBN 0-7021-4049-X
* "K-TV Holiday Fun" (1997) ISBN 0-7981-3562-X

For children (aged 6 to 7)

* "A day to celebrate!" / "'n Dag om te vier!" (2003) ISBN 0-625-03296-9
* "Let's make some changes" / "Wie wil wat wees?" (2003) ISBN 0-625-03345-0
* "Spiders in the house" / "Spinnekoppe in die huis" (2003) ISBN 0-625-03403-1
* "Bright ideas" / "Blink gedagtes" (with Johan van Lill) (2003) ISBN 0-625-03290-X

As editor

* "Donker veld" (2002) ISBN 0-7993-2970-3
* "Die boek van spoke" (2004) ISBN 1-919782-19-2

Under the pseudonym Leo Bekker

* "Dinge met tande" (1995) ISBN 0-7981-3407-X
* "Sprong" (1998) ISBN 0-7981-3831-9

External links

* [http://www.francoisbloemhof.net/ Official site] (in Afrikaans)
* [http://www.nb.co.za/listing/bloemhof/786/ NB Publishers biography]
* [http://www.lapa.co.za/mybasket/AuthorDetails.asp?AuthorID=136 LAPA biography] (in Afrikaans)
* [http://www.stellenboschartists.com/bloemhoff.html Stellenbosch Writers biography]
* [http://www.storiewerf.co.za/cv's/cvfrancoisbloemhof.htm Storiewerf biography] (in Afrikaans)
* [http://www.vetseun.co.za/anarkans/skryf/bloemhof.htm a bibliography by Vetseun]