Fiela se kind Author: Dalene Matthee
Fiela se Kind (Collectible Standard Softcover Release)
An Unforgettable Narrative of Identity, Motherhood, and Justice Amidst the Historic Cape Colony Frontiers
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Fiela se kind
- Author: Dalene Matthee
- Publisher: Tafelberg Publishers Ltd, Cape Town
- Publication Date: 1988 Edition / Impression
- ISBN-10: 0624026019 | ISBN-13: 9780624026013
- Edition Details: Early Trade Softcover Print Run.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium heavy-gauge illustrated card wraps.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 314 pages.
- Language: Afrikaans
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Wraps: The softcover wraps are well-preserved, showcasing excellent structural integrity, deep coloration, and square alignment. Minimal, micro-cosmetic shelf friction along the back edges and faint corner storage wear consistent with careful pre-owned handling. The spine is flat and crisp, holding its original profile.
- Interior: Securely and robustly bound. Internal text block pages are complete, entirely clean, and free of standard user underlining, dealer margins, pen ink signatures, or prominent dog-ears.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Originally published in 1985, Fiela se kind is widely considered a crown jewel of South African literature and an absolute staple for Africana collectors. Set in the late 19th-century wilderness of the Knysna forest and the arid Long Kloof, the novel traces the heartbreaking journey of Fiela Komoetie, a proud Coloured woman who discovers an abandoned white toddler on her doorstep and raises him as her own.
Nine years later, the child is systemically uprooted by colonial authorities and forced into the family of a severe white woodcutter, Elias van Rooyen, who claims the boy is his lost son, Lukas. Exploring timeless socio-political themes of systemic racism, class discrimination, and the agonizing fluid nature of personal identity, Dalene Matthee's masterpiece captures the severe landscape and human spirit of the Cape frontier.
Author Profile: Dalene Matthee
Dalene Matthee (1938–2005) remains one of South Africa's most cherished and internationally translated authors. Born in Riversdale, she meticulously researched the history, ecology, and socio-economic realities of the Knysna forest to write her universally acclaimed "Forest Novels" (Bosverhale) series, of which Fiela se kind and Kringe in 'n bos are the defining achievements. Her unique capacity to weave rich historical dialect with deeply empathetic human conflicts earned her numerous prestigious literary accolades, including the ATKV Prose Prize.
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