An Afrikaans publishing house has objected to the selection of poet and playwright Adam Small as the latest recipient of the prestigious Herzog Prize.

The South African Academy for Science and Art awards the honour annually, in recognition of outstanding contributions to literature in the country.

Small (pictured) was awarded the prize for his dramatic works, which include the renowned ‘Hy Kô Hystoe’, which debuted in the 1960s.

But the Protea Boekhuis, publisher of Afrikaanse books and plays, has expressed doubts as to the validity of the academy’s choice this year.

Beeld has reported that in a letter to the academy on Monday, managing director of Protea Boekhuis Dr Nicol Stassen said that although he feels Small’s work has merited the recognition in the past; the timing of the award was irregular.

“According to the (academy’s) rules it is clear that only works of writers who published new, original work during the ‘previous three calendar years’, are considered for the prize,” Stassen said.

“It is unfortunate that the academy did not award the prize to Adam Small in the past, when it could’ve been awarded according to the rules.

“One can understand that the academy wants to rectify an injustice of the past. However, one can’t understand that the academy commits a new injustice this year to make up for it.”

Professor Jacques van der Elst, chief executive of the academy, has denied the accusation, saying that precedents exist for the decision and no regulations were violated.

However, Stassen remained adamant that an injustice has been done.

“In the past it has been decided once or twice not to award the prize – rather than, as in this case, to award the prize to people or works that are not eligible for the award,” he said.

Former Hertzog winner Andre Brink also expressed doubts over the propriety of the academy’s decision.

“We were all aware of the three-year rule and the academy used it for years as the reason why they ‘could’ not award Small with the prize,” he said.

“The fact that they now did it anyway, suggests that they deliberately decided to suspend the rules and one would’ve appreciated an announcement about it.”

Nevertheless, the author said he was pleased to see Small finally awarded a prize he richly deserves.

“I am very happy to see that this injustice that lasted nearly half a century was finally, it seems, undone.”

Another Hertzog holder, Breyten Breytenbach, congratulated the academy in an email on Monday for making “the almost obvious decision.”

“I think it’s a deserved recognition of the well recognised work of a really important writer,” he said.