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W. E. G. Louw
poet · writer · university teacher · literary scholar
- May 31, 1913
- April 24, 1980
- 66 years
About W. E. G. Louw
W. E. G. Louw, 66, South African poet.
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Full Biography
|William Ewart Gladstone Louw (31 May 1913 in Sutherland, formerly Cape Province, now Northern Cape Province in South Africa – 24 April 1980 in Stellenbosch, Western Cape Province, South Africa), was an Afrikaner poet and is in the main known to the literary world merely as W.E.G. Louw. He was the younger brother of the poet N. P. van Wyk Louw.
William Louw matriculated at the S. A. College School in Cape Town. He studied at the University of Cape Town from 1931 -1935 and was admitted to the degree of Master of Arts with a dissertation on the poetry of J. H. Leopold. He continued his studies in the Netherlands at the University of Amsterdam, where he was admitted to the degree of D.Lit.
Louw returned to Cape Town in November 1938. Here he completed another doctorate with a dissertation on the influence of Gorter on Leopold (Die Invloed van Gorter op Leopold). In 1944 he married the composer Rosa Nepgen.
In 1945, together with his brother N. P. van Wyk Louw and H. A. Mulder, "W.E.G." founded the independent magazine "Standpunte" ("Points of View"). W.E.G.'s first academic position was as professor of Afrikaans and Nederlands at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. In 1957 he accepted the post of Arts Editor at Die Burger (a newspaper in the Cape) and remained there until the end of 1966. From 1967 he served as professor of Dutch Literature at the University of Stellenbosch, until his retirement in 1978.
Louw's 1934's collection of poems entitled Die ryke dwaas ("The rich fool") might perhaps be seen as the start of the Dertigers movement within Afrikaans literature.1
His poems
Pale Falcon
White is the world
of historical mourning
and tragic the waltz
of the sea at day's dawning
dew on the dunes, no zephyr that wakes
just a falcon that sings in the circles he makes...
(Translated by J. W. Marchant).
His influences
The South African composer Cromwell Everson constructed a song cycle, "Vier Liefdesliedjies" ("Four little love songs"), that found inspiration in a poem that W.E.G. had entitled "Nooit Nog" ("Never again").
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._E._G._Louw
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from W. E. G. Louw's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was William Ewart Gladstone Louw born?
- A.12 August 1931
- B.15 June 1913
- C.31 May 1913correct
- D.24 April 1980
William Ewart Gladstone Louw was born on 31 May 1913.
Source: biographical introduction
2.Where was William Ewart Gladstone Louw born?
- A.Stellenbosch
- B.Grahamstown
- C.Sutherlandcorrect
- D.Cape Town
William Ewart Gladstone Louw was born in Sutherland.
Source: biographical introduction
3.Who was William Ewart Gladstone Louw's brother?
- A.N. P. van Wyk Louwcorrect
- B.J. H. Leopold
- C.Gorter
- D.H. A. Mulder
William Ewart Gladstone Louw was the younger brother of the poet N. P. van Wyk Louw.
Source: biographical introduction
4.Where did William Ewart Gladstone Louw matriculate?
- A.Rhodes University
- B.University of Cape Town
- C.University of Amsterdam
- D.S. A. College Schoolcorrect
William Ewart Gladstone Louw matriculated at the S. A. College School in Cape Town.
Source: education section
5.What was the subject of the dissertation William Ewart Gladstone Louw wrote for his Master of Arts degree?
- A.The history of Die Burger
- B.The poetry of J. H. Leopoldcorrect
- C.The Dertigers movement
- D.The influence of Gorter on Leopold
William Ewart Gladstone Louw earned his Master of Arts with a dissertation on the poetry of J. H. Leopold.
Source: education section
6.Where did William Ewart Gladstone Louw earn his D.Lit degree?
- A.Rhodes University
- B.University of Cape Town
- C.University of Stellenbosch
- D.University of Amsterdamcorrect
William Ewart Gladstone Louw was admitted to the degree of D.Lit at the University of Amsterdam.
Source: education section
7.What is the title of the dissertation William Ewart Gladstone Louw completed in 1938?
- A.Standpunte
- B.Die ryke dwaas
- C.De Dertigers
- D.Die Invloed van Gorter op Leopoldcorrect
Upon returning to Cape Town in 1938, William Ewart Gladstone Louw completed a dissertation titled Die Invloed van Gorter op Leopold.
Source: early career section
8.Who did William Ewart Gladstone Louw marry in 1944?
- A.A journalist from Die Burger
- B.A professor from Rhodes University
- C.The composer Rosa Nepgencorrect
- D.The poet N. P. van Wyk Louw
In 1944, William Ewart Gladstone Louw married the composer Rosa Nepgen.
Source: early career section
9.Which magazine did William Ewart Gladstone Louw co-found in 1945?
- A.Dertigers
- B.Cape Literary Review
- C.Die Burger
- D.Standpuntecorrect
In 1945, William Ewart Gladstone Louw co-founded the magazine Standpunte.
Source: career section
10.What was William Ewart Gladstone Louw's first academic position?
- A.Professor at the University of Stellenbosch
- B.Professor of Afrikaans and Nederlands at Rhodes Universitycorrect
- C.Arts Editor at Die Burger
- D.Lecturer at the University of Amsterdam
William Ewart Gladstone Louw's first academic position was professor of Afrikaans and Nederlands at Rhodes University.
Source: career section
11.What role did William Ewart Gladstone Louw hold at Die Burger starting in 1957?
- A.Editor-in-Chief
- B.Poetry Columnist
- C.Arts Editorcorrect
- D.Literary Critic
In 1957, William Ewart Gladstone Louw accepted the post of Arts Editor at Die Burger.
Source: career section
12.In what year did William Ewart Gladstone Louw retire from the University of Stellenbosch?
- A.1967
- B.1966
- C.1978correct
- D.1980
William Ewart Gladstone Louw served as professor of Dutch Literature at the University of Stellenbosch until his retirement in 1978.
Source: career section
13.What was the title of William Ewart Gladstone Louw's 1934 poetry collection?
- A.Die Invloed van Gorter
- B.Die ryke dwaascorrect
- C.Dertigers
- D.Standpunte
William Ewart Gladstone Louw published a collection of poems entitled Die ryke dwaas in 1934.
Source: literary works section
14.Which movement within Afrikaans literature might William Ewart Gladstone Louw's poetry collection have started?
- A.The Cape Modernists
- B.The Dertigers movementcorrect
- C.The Gorter Movement
- D.The Stellenbosch School
William Ewart Gladstone Louw's 1934 collection Die ryke dwaas is associated with the start of the Dertigers movement.
Source: literary works section
15.Where did William Ewart Gladstone Louw die?
- A.Stellenboschcorrect
- B.Cape Town
- C.Grahamstown
- D.Sutherland
William Ewart Gladstone Louw died on 24 April 1980 in Stellenbosch.
Source: biographical introduction
16.When did William Ewart Gladstone Louw finish his work at Die Burger?
- A.End of 1966correct
- B.End of 1967
- C.Beginning of 1957
- D.End of 1978
William Ewart Gladstone Louw served as Arts Editor at Die Burger until the end of 1966.
Source: career section
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