Dan Sleigh

• Name — Dan Sleigh • Born — 03 November 1938 • Birthplace — Geelbeksfontein, Langebaan • Died — July 2023 • Occupation — Writer • Notable Works — Eilande Afstande

He was born on the farm Geelbeksfontein on the West Coast on 3 November 1938. He was born to Francis and Susanna Sleigh, whose fathers were both ship captains. He matriculated at Vredenburg High School.

Upon finishing high school, Sleigh joined the South African Navy. During his time in the navy, he travelled across Mombasa, Kenya and south of the Prince-Edward Islands along the Indian Ocean. After completing his service in the Navy, he went onto work as a bank clerk at Barclays Bank and a barman at Saldanha Hotel. He also worked as a fisherman and truck driver. From 1960 until 1962, Sleigh studied to become a Physical Education teacher at the Paarl Training College. He went on to work as a physical education teacher in the early 1960s, teaching at Mariental High School in Namibia and the Marist Brothers College in Rondebosch, Cape Town. In 1969 he completed his BA Degree in History and English Literature at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Sleigh then completed a MA Degree cum laude, followed by a Doctorate in History in 1987 at the University of Stellenbosch. His research dealt with the Dutch Seaborne Empire (1602 -1795), with a specific focus on the first Dutch colonial period at the Cape and the influence of maritime services on indigenous communities. He took on several roles within the field of education, including the Head of the Centre for Conservation Education and Provincial Co-ordinator for Conservation Education for the Western Cape Education Department, where he retired in 1996. Following his official retirement, he worked at the Cape Archives where he transcribed archives of the Dutch East India Company, laying the basis for his historical novels.

He made his literary debut in 1974 with the volume of poetry entitled Duif oor water. This was followed by a series of novels for youth and adults and works of history throughout the 1970s and 1980s, like Tussen twee vlae and Onder die bittervaan. His 1980 history Jan Kompanjie: Die Wêreld van die Verenigde Oos-Indiese Kompanjie (Jan Compagnie: The World of the Dutch East India Company) formed a key account of the VOC and the Dutch colonial era. His massive 2002 novel, Eilande (Islands), was published 20 years after Sleigh had begun it. It won many awards, starting with the Sanlam/Insig/Kwela Groot Romanwedstryd before publication. Once it was published, it won the WA Hofmeyer Prize, the RAU prize, the M-Net Prize and the Helgaard Steyn Prize. His later works, Wals met Matilda (2011) and 1795 (2016), would go on to win most of the same prizes, making him one of the most awarded novelists in Afrikaans.

On Friday 28 July 2023, Sleigh was found dead by a family member in his house. The cause of his death was not disclosed.

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