- South African author Deon Meyer has been awarded the French Order of Arts and Letters.
- The Order recognises significant contributions to the arts and literature in France.
- Meyer was described as "a great friend of France" during the award ceremony.
South African crime fiction author and screenwriter Deon Meyer has received a French award in honour of his contribution to the arts and literature in France.
French ambassador Aurélien Lechevallier awarded Meyer with the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters) at Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch on Tuesday, on behalf of the French Presidency.
The Order of Arts and Letters is a French order that was established in 1957. It recognises "significant contributions to the enrichment of the arts and literature in France and abroad".
The French embassy said in a statement:
"A part of Deon's latest novel, The Last Hunt, is set in Bordeaux, France, where the South African character, Thobela Mpayipheli, lives under the French name Daniel Darret."
Meyer has published 15 novels and three short story collections, and his work has been translated into 27 languages and published in more than 40 countries.
Meyer has received several international awards for his books, Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (2003) and Le Prix Mystère de la critique (2004).
He has also written series for television, screenplays for feature films, and produced and directed movies in Afrikaans.
Other South Africans awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres include Johnny Clegg (1991), William Kentridge (2013), Gregory Maqoma (2017), Zanele Muholi (2017) and Jonathan "Zapiro" Shapiro (2019).
On Monday, former public protector Thuli Madonsela received the Chevalier de la légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), the highest French order of merit. The award was bestowed on her for her "remarkable fight against corruption".