Die Anglo-Boereoorlog (1899-1902) in die Afrikaanse letterkunde: ’n geheelperspektief

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.

contends that, on the one hand, a literary text can sometimes capture the spirit and atmosphere of an event or period far better than a history book or article.On the other hand, knowledge of certain historical events and processes can sometimes be of great assistance in understanding and evaluating a literary work, be it a novel, short story, poem or play.Special attention is paid to how the Anglo-Boer War is reflected in Afrikaans literature.Even while the war was still in progress, poems were being written in internment camps (the preferred description instead of the emotionally charged concentration camps) and prisoner-of-war camps.The Anglo-Boer War poems written by well-known poets such as Jan F.E. Celliers, Eugène Marais, C. Louis Leipoldt, Totius (J.D. du Toit) and D.J. Opperman deserve special mention.
Only a few Afrikaans plays with the Anglo-Boer War as theme have been written.Among those published are Eugène Marais's Nag: 'n drama in vier bedrywe (1937), Bartho Smit's Moeder Hanna (c.1957), Pieter Fourie's Die joiner (c.1976) and Reza de Wet's Nag, generaal (1991).Perhaps the most important (and in its time, most controversial) play in this regard is probably the well-known literary figure N.P. van Wyk Louw's Die pluimsaad waai ver of bitter begin (published in 1972), which dared to reconceptualise the Anglo-Boer War, broke with conventional stereotypes, and tackled sensitive issues head-on.
As far as novels are concerned, D.F. Malherbe's Vergeet nie: histories-romanties verhaal uit die Anglo-Boereoorlog (1913) is one of the earliest examples of a war novel in Afrikaans, while Gustav Preller's Oorlogsoormag en ander sketse en verhale (1923) is an example of a short story on the war, dating from the early 1920s.The 1930s saw an upsurge in Afrikaner nationalism, with a high point reached in 1938 with the Great Trek centenary.In light of the fact that the Anglo-Boer War is (together with the Great Trek) the most epoch-making event in the history of the Afrikaner people, it is hardly surprising that many Anglo-Boer War stories appeared in the popular Afrikaans magazine Die Huisgenoot during the 1930s and 1940s.Several new novels on the war were also published during this period, for example 'n Wiel binne-in 'n wiel by Miemie Louw-Theron (1935), 'n Merk vir die eeue by T.C. Pienaar (1938) and Helkampe by Ewald Steenkamp (1941).During the Second World War, with its concomitant political tension in South Africa, the latter novel was banned by the government of J.C. Smuts (a famous former Boer general).
In due course, books on the Anglo-Boer War written for a younger generation also saw the light of day, for example Die ruiter in die nag by Mikro (C.H. Kühn) (1936), Boerseun, also by Mikro (1944) and Uit die puine by Sita (S.S. de Kock) (1952).In later years, books such as Ria Jordaan's Wynand se oorlog (1989) and Heléne le Roux's Eendag was daar 'n oorlog (1990) also appeared.Etienne Leroux's Magersfontein, o Magersfontein! (1976) was an epoch-making new Afrikaans novel on the war.In the book the conflict is demythologised and the Afrikaner and his/her history satirised.It led to much controversy, but set the stage for a series of other novels that in due course also took an unabashedly critical look at the history of the war.In this regard, Elsa Joubert's Die reise van Isobelle (1995), Karel Schoeman's Verliesfontein (1998) and Christoffel Coetzee's Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz (1998) are particularly noteworthy.Coetzee's disconcerting novel shattered what was left of the erstwhile idealised image of the Afrikaner's role during the war.The cruelty of the war has probably never been portrayed so explicitly and with such honesty as is the case in this novel.
In stark contrast to the literary works of the 1930s and 1940s, when the so-called heroic dimension of the Anglo-Boer War was emphasised, war (and the Afrikaner's role in it) is seldom if ever glorified in modern literary texts.As a matter of fact, there is a concerted effort to deconstruct Afrikaner nationalism and everything with which it can be associated.Some of the themes identified in the texts are the following: battles and other aspects of military conflict as, for example, portrayed in Magersfontein, o Magersfontein!; "heroes" as, for example, depicted in the Afrikaans translations of the books by the Dutchman Louwrens Penning (for example, Die leeu van Modderspruit (1966) and Die held van Spioenkop (1967)) and At van Wyk's Kniel, krygsman (1968), that explores the role played by General Christiaan de Wet; Cape Colony rebels, for example in Vuur op die horison by Engela van Rooyen (2000); and the role played by younger boys ("penkoppe") in the war, for example in Die penkopkommando by Fritz Steyn (1941), Boeta gaan op kommando by H.S. van Blerk (1977) and Die kwêvoëlkommando: seuns wat manne was -'n verhaal uit die Tweede Vryheidsoorlog by J.H. van Dyk (1988).The consequences of the British scorched-earth policy is investigated in, inter alia, Engela van Rooyen's Vuur op die horison.
Women play a central role in Afrikaans Anglo-Boer War fiction.J.R.L. van Bruggen's Die gerig (1943) was one of the first-ever feminist novels written in Afrikaans.Other examples are: Tuin van herinnering by H.S. van Blerk (1982) and Helena in die tyd van tente (1986).Prisoner-of-war camps form the historical background in P.J. Nienaber's Nag op St. Helena (1944); the role and experiences of black and coloured people are dealt with in Vatmaar and Afdraai by A.H.M. Scholtz; and relations between white, black and coloured are foregrounded in Moeder Poulin (1946) by G.H. Franz.Neglected themes include the following: hands-uppers, joiners and other traitors; "tragic figures" like General Piet Cronjé, who surrendered at Paardeberg on 27 February 1900 and ended up as a "circus artist" re-enacting the events in the United States of America; and the suffering of black and coloured people.
When a person decides to write a novel, short story, play or poem with the Anglo-Boer War as theme or background, certain historical facts must be kept in mind, for example: the David-Goliath nature of the conflict; the role played by many foreigners; the fact that it was neither a white man's war nor a gentleman's war; the terrible destruction wrought by the British scorched-earth policy; the trauma caused by the internment camp system and its effects on both white and black civilians (some 28 000 white and at least 23 000 black people died in camps); the atrocities committed by the Boers and the British; and the legacy of the war, which cast a shadow over the history of twentiethcentury South Africa.
In conclusion, the importance of historical knowledge for the analysis and interpretation of literary texts is emphasised.It is also postulated that novels and other literary works can play an important role in inculcating readers with a sense of history, thereby assisting them in giving account of their (controversial South African) past, including the history of the devastating and traumatic Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902.