The conversation on Friday covered a wide range of topics: from the poet’s views of identity, his experience of aging and the impact on his poetry, his use and understanding of metaphors to his views on the relationship between esthetics and ethics (the extent to which art can serve as a mediator for social and political engagement and actions). Breyten strongly criticised the downscaling of the status of Afrikaans: it is nonsencial to punish a language for the thoughtless acts of a number of people in the past.

The poet expressed his concern over what he described as the dominant ideology of materialism, which stands in sharp contrast to the idealistic quest for a utopia that characterized his own generation. He nevertheless answered a question from one of the many young people in the audience as to his “message to the youth of today” positively, saying that the wonders of the new technology and the special skills of young people should serve to meet the challenges and diversity of the country in a creative manner.

The conversation lasted longer than the announced one hour, but the audience remained fascinated and indicated their appreciation by a long and loud round of applause: an indication of their high regard for one of the major artists South Africa has produced. Lecturers and students were inspired by a particularly stimulating intellectual exercise.