Pieter Jacobus Conradie (1931–2021)

Abstract

Pieter Jacobus Conradie (1931–2021) Jo-Marie Claassen Click for larger view View full resolution Professor of Greek Piet Conradie with colleagues, senior students, and Mrs Kotie Smuts, widow of Latin Professor, Frans Smuts, circa 2000. Photo: Conradie family. [End Page 8] South African Classics is the poorer with the passing, in his ninety-first year, of Piet Conradie, Professor Emeritus of Greek at Stellenbosch, doyen of scholarly Reception Studies of Greek drama in South Africa, but also a kind and beloved teacher.1 After one year at the University of Cape Town, Conradie transferred to Stellenbosch, achieving a BA degree cum laude (Greek and Latin, with minors in History and Afrikaans) in 1950, and continuing immediately with his graduate studies (1951), while also embarking on a first stint of teaching. Four years in the Netherlands (1954-58) culminated in a doctorate at the University of Utrecht on the literary portrayal of Herakles in Greek drama, published in 1958.2 Piet Conradie had long been interested in the use of myth in Greek literature, and he was further inspired by the prescribed preliminary reading of all the works of Aeschylus and Sophocles and also a number of Euripides' plays, set by his supervisor at Utrecht. Greek tragedy became his lifelong passion. Soon after his permanent appointment as lecturer at Stellenbosch, Piet collaborated with Professor Frans Smuts and various other colleagues to institute a three-year course in Classical Studies (at Stellenbosch termed 'Classical Culture') to complement students' linguistic studies.3 Here Piet's three drama modules, featuring not only Greek drama in translation, but also its tremendous Nachleben, kept students fascinated from first to third year. Many of South Africa's best-known actors were, as students, among these proselytes. Students were introduced to the dramatic works of modern European authors, ranging from Anouilh to Brecht, Corneille, Eliot, Racine and further, but also to South African authors who wrote in Afrikaans, such as Brink, Van Wyk Louw, and Wassenaar. These authors also featured in the numerous academic articles Conradie published, not only in Classics journals, but also [End Page 9] in other literary and theatrical journals. Later he started working on other African authors who worked with Greek tragic themes, such as Soyinka and Rotimi. Seven books came from his pen and he also served as editor of Akroterion from 1987 until 1995. Piet was promoted to Associate Professor in 1972, and to full Professor and Chair of Greek at Stellenbosch in 1977, where he retired in 1995. Yet the Greek language was not neglected in Piet's teaching portfolio, and his scholarly approach earned him the soubriquet of 'Piet Grieks'. He was a kind preceptor to generations of Dutch Reformed theological students, guiding them to pass the compulsory two years of Greek for entrance to the Seminary. Former students of his fill pulpits throughout South Africa and still remember him fondly. A former student, a local pastor, after thirty-five years still recalls Piet's quasi-dramatic declaration that 'the perfect tense is an action in the past that has an influence on the present.' In that sense, Piet Grieks' teaching was 'perfect'. Here, too, Piet favoured the reading of drama with senior students, who chose to continue with Greek studies in their third year for the love of it. I remember reading Euripides' Ion in Greek with him when I took up Greek studies at Stellenbosch, where the two languages were then offered in separate departments. On occasion Piet also 'helped out' in the Latin Department at Stellenbosch, so that I had the privilege of reading the Roman historiographer Tacitus with him in my Latin Honours year. Piet was always impeccably prepared, and demanded the same from his students, though, as he himself explained, he did not really expect them always to comply. For him, errare semper humanum est and he led his all-too-human students by example rather than precept. All remember his approachability and humility. This kindly attitude, combined with a dry and often mildly wicked sense of humour and frequent laughter, was carried over into his relationship with his family and colleagues, but also into extensive committee work at the University (such as acting...