The Story of an African Farm - Softcover

Schreiner, Olive

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1494871661 ISBN 13: 9781494871666

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

Synopsis

The Story of an African Farm is Olive Schreiner's landmark novel, set in the rural Karoo towards the end of the last century. The story was originally published in 1883 under the pseudonym Ralph Iron. When it was later revealed that the author was a woman, the news was received by many Victorian readers, who were shocked by the forthright feminism and negative comment on the social structures that formed the basis of their colonial society. Olive Schreiner proved to be a woman of vision and an author of skill. She evokes the bleakness and beauty of the farm in the Karoo, which she uses as the backdrop of the stories of Lyndall and Walso - unlikely soul mates whose lives reflect their frustrated quest for a better reality and their dreams of self-fulfilment. Schreiner's radical views on marriage, class distinction and religion remain relevant to this day and 'The Story of an African Farm' maintains an important place in South Africa literature.

About this title

About the Author:

Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) was a South African author, anti-war campaigner and intellectual. She is best remembered today for her novel The Story of an African Farm which has been highly acclaimed ever since its first publication in 1883 for the bold manner in which it dealt with some of the burning issues of the day, including agnosticism, existential independence, individualism and the professional aspirations of women; as well as its portrayal of the elemental nature of life on the colonial frontier. In more recent studies she has also been foregrounded as an apologist for those sidelined by the forces of British Imperialism, such as the Afrikaners, and later other South African groups like Blacks, Jews and Indians - to name but a few. Although she showed interest in a large number of bohemian notions and the passing fads of her time (i.e. socialism, pacifism, vegetarianism, the New Woman phenomenon etc.) her true views escape restrictive categorisations. Her published works and other surviving writings promote implicit values like moderation, friendship and understanding amongst all peoples, avoiding the pitfalls of political radicalism which she consciously eschewed. Although she may be called a life-long freethinker in terms of her Victorian background, she always remained true to the spirit of the Christian Bible and developed a secular version of the worldview of her missionary parents.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1494871661
• ISBN 13: 9781494871666
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 222