Jaco Jacobs
Jaco Jacobs grew up in a small Karoo town in South Africa, where he fell in love with books at a very young age. His writing career started at school, with his participation in numerous competitions for aspiring writers, and the publication of his first short stories in magazines.
At 18 he wrote his first youth novel, Pretpark, which was later published by Human & Rousseau.
Jaco has published more than 180 books for children and young people, including picture books, collections of children’s verse, and non-fiction. More than a million copies of his books have been sold and for the past few years, he has been one of the bestselling authors in the South African market.
In addition to this, he has translated more than 300 children’s books into Afrikaans, among them four Tintin titles as well as books by Michael Rosen, Chris Riddell, Charles Fuge, Julia Donaldson and Jessica Townsend. He believes humour is one of the key ingredients in an enjoyable children’s book, and his books, such as My ouma is ’n rock-ster and Wurms met tamatiesous, and his translations are characterized by a strong element of fun.
Jaco was awarded the Alba Bouwer Prize (twice), the MML Literature Award, the Elsabé Steenberg Prize for Children’s Book Translation, the South African Translator’s Institute Award for Children’s Book Translation, the Tienie Holloway Medal, the Scheepers Prize, the Rapport/kykNET Prize and the C.P. Hoogenhout Medal, and has won twenty-nine ATKV Children’s Book Awards (the only book award in Afrikaans where children get tot vote for their favourite books). In 2008, his youth novel Suurlemoen! was named an international IBBY Honour Book. Two of his novels for teenagers, Suurlemoen! and Oor ’n motorfiets, ’n zombiefliek en lang getalle wat deur elf gedeel kan word, have been adapted into full-length feature films.
In 2018, translations of ’n Goeie dag vir boomklim (A Good Day for Climbing Trees) and Oor ’n motorfiets, ’n zombiefliek en lang getalle wat deur elf gedeel kan word (A Good Night for Shooting Zombies) were published internationally by acclaimed British publisher Oneworld, and the Italian edition of A Good Day for Climbing Trees was released in 2019. A Good Day for Climbing Trees and A Good Night for Shooting Zombies were both longlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Award.
Jaco is also a freelance journalist, columnist and long-distance runner who has completed the Comrades Marathon twice. He lives in Bloemfontein with his wife, Elize, two daughters, Mia and Emma, as well as two-and-a-half dogs, a cat and a pet python.
At 18 he wrote his first youth novel, Pretpark, which was later published by Human & Rousseau.
Jaco has published more than 180 books for children and young people, including picture books, collections of children’s verse, and non-fiction. More than a million copies of his books have been sold and for the past few years, he has been one of the bestselling authors in the South African market.
In addition to this, he has translated more than 300 children’s books into Afrikaans, among them four Tintin titles as well as books by Michael Rosen, Chris Riddell, Charles Fuge, Julia Donaldson and Jessica Townsend. He believes humour is one of the key ingredients in an enjoyable children’s book, and his books, such as My ouma is ’n rock-ster and Wurms met tamatiesous, and his translations are characterized by a strong element of fun.
Jaco was awarded the Alba Bouwer Prize (twice), the MML Literature Award, the Elsabé Steenberg Prize for Children’s Book Translation, the South African Translator’s Institute Award for Children’s Book Translation, the Tienie Holloway Medal, the Scheepers Prize, the Rapport/kykNET Prize and the C.P. Hoogenhout Medal, and has won twenty-nine ATKV Children’s Book Awards (the only book award in Afrikaans where children get tot vote for their favourite books). In 2008, his youth novel Suurlemoen! was named an international IBBY Honour Book. Two of his novels for teenagers, Suurlemoen! and Oor ’n motorfiets, ’n zombiefliek en lang getalle wat deur elf gedeel kan word, have been adapted into full-length feature films.
In 2018, translations of ’n Goeie dag vir boomklim (A Good Day for Climbing Trees) and Oor ’n motorfiets, ’n zombiefliek en lang getalle wat deur elf gedeel kan word (A Good Night for Shooting Zombies) were published internationally by acclaimed British publisher Oneworld, and the Italian edition of A Good Day for Climbing Trees was released in 2019. A Good Day for Climbing Trees and A Good Night for Shooting Zombies were both longlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Award.
Jaco is also a freelance journalist, columnist and long-distance runner who has completed the Comrades Marathon twice. He lives in Bloemfontein with his wife, Elize, two daughters, Mia and Emma, as well as two-and-a-half dogs, a cat and a pet python.
