Diary of An African Journey: The Return of Rider Haggard

by H. Rider Haggard, Stephen Coan

Overview

In 1914, H. Rider Haggardadventure novelist, diplomat, farmer, lawyer, and, above all, renowned author of such classic and influential bestsellers as King Solomon's Mines and Shereturned to South Africa, the country that had fired his literary imagination, for the first time in a quarter century.
Haggard, whose work is today considered a prototype of colonial literature, barely recognized the Africa of his youth. The discovery of gold, the destruction of the Zulu kingdom, and the aftermath of the Anglo-Boer war had all radically transformed the political, cultural, and often physical landscape.
No longer the diehard imperialist of his youth, when conquest and colonization were the order of the day, Haggard toured southern Africa extensively during this trip, acquiring an impression of black politics and even meeting the first president of the African National Congress, John Dube. This is the chronicle, in Haggard's own hand, of that journey.
A remarkable literary find, written by a man who helped shape Western perceptions of Africa, this hitherto unpublished manuscript presents a portrait both surprising and in some ways familiar of Africa and of a central figure in the literature of African colonialism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814736319
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	08/01/2001
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Stephen Coan is an assistant editor of The Natal Witness.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgements	vii
	Note on the text	x
	Gazetteer	xii
	Introduction	1
1.	From youth to age	44
2.	This land of troubles	51
3.	A sad story in truth	92
4.	Chief from of old! Father!	105
5.	I felt like one returned from the dead	127
6.	Is it a white man's land?	141
7.	Four hundred miles through Zululand	175
8.	A Zulu of high blood	227
9.	Running along the coast	246
10.	It is done	263
	Appendix 1	282
	Appendix 2	311
	Appendix 3	316
	Bibliography	323
	Index	329

Editorial Reviews

This insightful, hitherto unpublished, memoir chronicles Victorian author Haggard's 1914 journey to South Africa and what are now Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya. Best known for his influential King Solomon's Mines (1885), the 58-year-old novelist discovered that the place had changed significantly since his imperialist youth. And South Africa was no stranger to him: at 19, he had been appointed secretary to the governor of Natal; later, he became master of the high court of the Transvaal and also served during the Boer War. His diary entries reveal that he was not only sympathetic to the plight of the natives in those lands, but perhaps even prophetic: "cruelty bred of fear is no new story in South Africa. The white man neglects or oppresses the native and slights his needs until something happens; then in a panic he sets to work and butchers him." Coan, an assistant editor at the Natal Witness, has written an excellent introduction that gives a detailed overview of Haggard's life and his journeys, highlighting the trip to South Africa. Recommended for academic libraries. Lee Arnold, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In 1914, Haggard, the author of colonialist novels and returned to a South Africa which had greatly changed since the first visits of his youth. This account of his journey as a member of the British Empire's Dominions Royal Commission offers observations on the changed nature of the country after the Anglo-Boer wars and details a number of aspects of the political landscape, including a description of his interview with the founder of the African National Congress, John Dube. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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