François Bloemhof

François Bloemhof is a South African author, playwright, composer, copywriter and film reviewer. He writes mostly in Afrikaans and has won a number of prizes for his work.

François Bloemhof
BornPaarl, South Africa
Pen nameLeo Bekker
OccupationAuthor, Playwright, Composer, Copywriter, Film reviewer
NationalitySouth African
Website
www.francoisbloemhof.net

Biography

François Bloemhof was born in the town of Paarl in the Cape Province, South Africa. In Grade 9 his English teacher awarded him 97% for a short story, “Murder by the Number”, which he considers the start of his writing career. While in Grade 11 he won the Amstel Playwright of the Year Award with the play A Social Gathering. Since then he has become the only author in the world to write so extensively and successfully for the adult, teenage and youth markets.

He didn’t attempt to write a novel until some years after leaving school, chiefly because he believed there was no room for “his type of story” in what was then a rather conservative Afrikaans market. Die Nag Het Net Een Oog was a Gothic novel set in a small (and totally un-Gothic) rural community, and with this in 1991 he won the De Kat Prize, at that time the country’s most prestigious literary award.

Many books for adults followed, as did numerous awards and nominations. Bloemhof’s adult work contains thriller, supernatural and more conventional dramatic elements. He has also written a secret agent (Rooi Luiperd) series as well as one starring a female detective, Alma van der Pool, both being the first of their kind in the Afrikaans publishing field. To date he has also written a cabaret, the filmed screenplay Double Echo, award-winning stage plays and radio dramas and serials.

He also writes for teenagers, winning several prizes in competitions (including Sanlam, MML and FNB) with books like Slinger-slinger, Die Dae Toe Ek Elvis Was, Stad aan die Einde van die Wêreld and Nie Vir Kinders Nie.

A “scary story” series for young readers, Rillers (translated in English as Chillers), comprises eight titles and were regular winners in the annual ATKV-Veertjie Competition, in which readers of the relevant age evaluate the books. The author’s latest youth series, a trilogy, is called Spooksoeker.

Bloemhof was the first Afrikaans author to publish a comic strip series, the Agent Snoet books in which a hapless secret agent is aided by his faithful yet domineering Siamese cat, Felino.

World-firsts by this author include an interactive newspaper serial (in Rapport); a youth novel with its own PC game; a Flipom, which is a two-in-one book with two covers that can be read first from either side and with both stories having the same characters; and a novel including an author-composed soundtrack CD performed by renowned South African musicians and singers.

Bloemhof has now published over 100 books for different age groups.

Selected bibliography

Adult Fiction
  • Die Nag Het Net Een Oog (1991)
  • Die Duiwel se Tuin (1993)
  • Koue Soen (1994)
  • Bloedbroer (1995)
  • Storieboek (1996)
  • Mooidraai Basuin (1997)
  • Nagbesoeker (1997)
  • Hostis (1998)
  • Klipgooi (1999)
  • ’n Tweede Asem vir Jan A (2001)
  • Spinnerak (Alma van der Pool #1) (2006)
  • Jagseisoen (Alma van der Pool #2) (2007)
  • Rooi Luiperd (Mark Steyn #1) (2008)
  • Harde Woorde (Alma van der Pool #3) (2009)
  • Afspraak in Venesië (Mark Steyn #2) (2009)
  • Die Onbekendes (2010)
  • Die Genesis-faktor (Mark Steyn #3) (2010)
  • Helse Manier van Koebaai Sê (Mark Steyn #4) (2011)
  • Jy-weet-wie (2012)
  • Moord in die Beloofde Land (2013)
  • Pad Na Jou Hart (2013)
  • Die Vierde Stem (2014)
  • Vir Altyd (2014)
  • Vir die Voëls (2016)
  • Double Echo (Doodskoot) (2016)
  • Feeding Time (Dieretuin) (2017)
  • Vergeet My Nie (2020)

Fiction For Teenagers And Younger Readers
  • Sakkie en die Toffiewolf (1994)
  • Die Dom Towenaar (1994)
  • Dinnie Kaboef (1997)
  • Middernagland (1996)
  • Die Vrou met die Pers Oog* (1996)
  • Donderwoud* (1996)
  • Die Waterding* (1997)
  • Slinger-slinger (1997)
  • K-TV Holiday Fun (fun and activity book) (1997)
  • Kamer 13* (1998)
  • Die Wit Huis (1998)
  • Die Speletjie* (1999)
  • Kry vir jou, Ou Langklou* (2000)
  • Die Dae Toe Ek Elvis Was (2002)
  • Hospitaaltyd* (2002)
  • Agent Snoet en die Botterdiamant (2002)
  • A Day to Celebrate (’n Dag om te Vier!) (2003)
  • Who Wants to be What? (Wie Wil Wat Wees?) (2003)
  • Spiders in the House (Spinnekoppe in die Huis) (2003)
  • Great Ideas (Blink Gedagtes) (with Johan van Lill) (2003)
  • Vampiere in Londen* (2004)
  • Nie Vir Kinders Nie (2005)
  • Agent Snoet en die Kattekwaad (2005)
  • City at the End of the World (Stad aan die Einde van die Wêreld) (2007)
  • Moenie dat die Grootmense Hoor Nie (2009)
  • Agent Snoet en die Hondelewe (2008)
  • Flipom (2009)
  • Agent Snoet en die Groen Genugtig (2010)
  • 13 Spookstories (2010)
  • Die Land Verby Donker (2012)
  • Vreeslike Versies (Afrikaans translation of Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes) (2012)
  • Nog 13 Spookstories (2012)
  • Koue Rillings (2013)
  • Liefde, Moord en Facebook (2015)
  • Agent Snoet en die Windlawaai (2016)
  • Agent Snoet 5-in-1 Omnibus (2019)
   * in the Rillers/Chillers series (only Afrikaans titles are given)


gollark: Technically, the worst computer I have is probably my old ~2015 phone, which still sort of works (it can boot into recovery fine but not into actual Android, and the battery doesn't actually work and the USB cable doesn't fit half the time). Otherwise, the Windows XP laptop with a... Pentium 3 or something, I forgot, which is lying around somewhere.
gollark: Memory, sure, but CPU?
gollark: Huh. Weird, then.
gollark: I use the web version, which means I can have multiple tabs open, and it has less data gathering ability, and it uses marginally less system resources.
gollark: The "application" for it is Electron, which is basically just a glorified Chrome tab.
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