Dalene Matthee passed away in her sleep on 20 February 2005. This is what other authors said about her:
Die Burger, 21 February 2005
- Abraham H. de Vries wrote:
“… Today, the entire community of South African writers is mourning Matthee. The voice of one of its very best storytellers is dead. Only she would have been able to write those forest stories, nobody else.” - Author Elsa Joubert confirmed this.
“She succeeded in getting people who never read Afrikaans to actually read Afrikaans, and this is a wonderful contribution.” - Literary critic Wium van Zyl said she was like Langenhoven.
“Like Langenhoven, she offered something to intellectual readers as well as ordinary readers. She exposed readers to various issues. She was an ecologist and a mild feminist who looked at the poor with attention and respect.” - Author André P. Brink said Matthee was one of the
“really significant voices in Afrikaans literature”. - Erns Grundling:
“She was the JK Rowling of the Afrikaans book …”
Insig, Mei 2005
- Charles Fryer:
Dalene (a descendant of Sir Walter Scott) was, besides Langenhoven, probably the best loved author in Afrikaans. After her sudden death her supporters were left with a feeling of utter disbelief. With her vital presence, this archetypal woman, this wise “old soul”, was a timeless person.
Dalene Matthee: Friends pay tribute
Two Sundays ago, Dalene (66) suddenly passed away in her sleep due to heart failure at a clinic in Mossel Bay. But her books, translated into fourteen languages, will live on … Silence in the forest
