Smuts: The Sanguine Years, 1870-1919 & 2, The Fields Of Force 1919-1950 By W. K. Hancock
Volume 1-Smuts: The Sanguine Years, 1870-1919 and
Volume 2, The Fields Of Force 1919-1950 By W. K. Hancock
Hardcover
Publisher: Cambridge At The University Press 1962, 1968
Used - Very Good: The DJ's are in a poor condition and has some wear and tear and paper loss (see picture) but is now covered with a fresh Cellophane sleeve. The books are clean and the pages clear and without markings. The book pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. Inscribed on the first page of Volume 1.
This monumental biography is the first to be based on the Smuts Archive, which was under the author's direction.
W.K. Hancock, architect and advisor of the Smuts Archive, locates the central essence of Jan Christiaan Smuts in the farms and “the hills of [his:] beginnings.” Echoing almost Jeffersonian sentiments, Hancock notes that “Throughout the rest of his life, these farms remained his shield against financial worry and his guarantee of freedom to live, think and act by the standard of his own will and judgment.” Drawn across the pages of two volumes, interspersed with maps, pictures, and what can only be considered a modest number of references by modern scholarship, Hancock illuminates the life one of the most complex, experienced, and influential figures of modern history. Known to many as an impressive international statesman, Smuts acted also as a fearsome military strategist and leader, as a philosopher and spiritual intellect, and ultimately left an indelible legacy as one of the central figures that critically shaped (or misshaped) the birth and early direction of the South African nation. Hancock’s careful narrative of Smuts’ life effectively treats the diverse aspects of this impressive man, blending the traditional elements of biography with a nuanced appreciation of Smuts’ vast intellectual life and work, and casting his prose with lyrical details that reflect his subject’s own spiritual outlook.
Hancock also demonstrates the rare ability to capture the fundamentals of strategy and conflict without belaboring his narrative with tactical detail or the indulgence of sensational prose. His description of General Smuts’ role in devising, defending and implementing an ambitious strategy opposing the British in the Boer Wars reflects a mixture of empathy and clear, resonant analysis. Of Smuts’ setting out upon the infamous invasion of the Cape Colony with his force of commandos, Hancock observes, “It was a brave speech. But perhaps too high flown? ...Some flourishes of rhetoric may be permitted to the leader of a forlorn hope; but if they are quite unrelated to the military realities of the time and place they will appear ridiculous in historical retrospect.” No higher tribute could thus be given to Smuts. Far from appearing ridiculous in defeat, the British subsequently came to rely heavily upon his military and diplomatic skills, even drafting his talents to the service of the Imperial War Cabinet in the First World War. In this first volume, Hancock’s work does justice to a man who did so much to contribute constructively to the shape of our modern world and yet, as the second volume might well document, eventually found himself fatally trapped by the cultural politics and sentiments of a previous century.
Front cover blurb: This second and final volume covers the decades of crucial conflict in which Smuts was twice Prime Minister but spent as many years in active opposition. His story as a fighter is at times triumphant but at times tragic. Sir Keith Hancock analyses tow passionate debates of the period: one among Afrikaners about their relations with the British, the other among all South Africans over the color issue. Smuts was deeply involved not only in the political but also in the intellectual crisis of this Century. For almost every week of the last 30 years of his life, at least one long letter in his own hand has survived. He exchanged news and views with his friends about family affairs, books, botanical and archaeological expeditions, scientific concepts, religious experiences, and the state of the nation and the world. His letters mirror the mood and thought of his generation throughout the years of false security, of appeasement, of war and somber victory. This study will reward students of South African history and world affairs with valuable information and insights. His hand-written letters to friends, weekly over 30 years, have survived and clearly show his appreciation of twentieth century intellectual issues and world affairs.
