Witnesses to War: Personal Documents of the Anglo-Boer War from the Collections of the South African Library by Schoeman, Karel

Witnesses to War: Personal Documents of the Anglo-Boer War from the Collections of the South African Library by Schoeman, Karel

Softcover, ISBN 9780798138482
Publisher: Human & Rousseau, Cape Town, 1999

Used - Very Good+. This book is in very good condition. The wraps have some slight/limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far.

A collection from the writings of 47 people intimately involved in the Anglo-Boer War; diaries, letters and reports to give a vivid picture of how the conflict affected the populace. English & Afrikaans/Dutch text.

Schoeman is one of a handful of Afrikaans authors who has achieved real greatness in his own lifetime. His prizes include the Hertzog prize for prose three times (1970, 1986, 1995), the CNA prize (1972), the Helgaard Steyn prize (1988), the W.A. Hofmeyr prize and the Old Mutual prize for literature/fiction (1984, 1991). His work investigates the existence of the Afrikaner in Africa, especially those that came from Europe.

After completing his schooling in Paarl, he went on to study a B.A. at the University of the Free State before going to a Catholic Seminary in Pretoria. In 1961 he joined the Franciscan Order in Ireland as a noviciate for priesthood, but then returned to Bloemfontein to continue studying Librarianship. Before returning to South Africa for good in 1983, he was a librarian in Amsterdam as well as a nurse in Glasgow. Back in South Africa he continued writing and working as a librarian in Cape Town. He currently lives in Trompsburg.