What historical event inspired Marlene van Niekerk's novel Triomf?

Marlene van Niekerk’s 1994 novel Triomf is inspired by the historical destruction of Sophiatown, a vibrant settlement near Johannesburg that was home to many of South Africa’s celebrated writers and musicians.12

Beginning in 1955, the South African government forcibly removed the residents of Sophiatown as part of the implementation of apartheid laws, which mandated racial segregation in housing and urban areas. Following the demolition of the existing settlement, the authorities constructed a new white working-class suburb in its place, which they named Triomf—the Afrikaans word for "triumph".12