Die verwerking van trauma in twee Afrikaanse romans

Abstract

This article discusses the traumatic experiences of characters in two recent Afrikaans novels : Stiltetyd (Time of silence) by Marita van der Vyver (2006) and Chinchilla by Nanette van Rooyen (2007).The article examines the way in which the novels describe the experience of trauma by the characters and the ways in which a process of healing is started by different processes. The theory of trauma and psychotherapy, psychology, recent findings in the field of neurobiology and the interdisciplinary discourse with literary narrative are used in this discussion.