| dc.description.abstract | This study reviews Afrikaans literary works (poems, plays, novels and short
stories) dealing with the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). War poems written by wellknown
Afrikaans poets such as Jan F.E. Celliers, Eugène Marais, C. Louis Leipoldt,
Totius and D.J. Opperman, as well as some of the few plays that have the war as
background, receive attention. See in this regard, for example, N.P. van Wyk Louw’s Die
pluimsaad waai ver of bitter begin, which in its day elicited a substantial amount of
controversy. In addition to the short stories that deal with the war, many novels on the
war have also been published. Attention is drawn to the fact that the upsurge in
Afrikaner nationalism in the 1930s (and later) went hand-in-hand with the publication
of Anglo-Boer War novels. The youth was also not neglected, thanks to best-selling
books on the war by Mikro and others. Etienne Leroux’s controversial novel
Magersfontein, o Magersfontein! (1976) paved the way for several other noteworthy war
novels that demythologise the Afrikaner’s so-called heroic role in the war. The article
also identifies the most important topics that have thus far been explored in the
Afrikaans literature on the war, for example the role played by Cape rebels; the
consequences of the British scorched-earth policy and concomitant camps for white and
black civilians; feminism, and the role and experiences of black and coloured people. In
conclusion, the mutually enriching relationship between history and literature is investigated. | en_US |
