AA 2000 Volume 32 Issue 2

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'n Verkennende studie van Anglo-Boereoorlog-fiksie
(University of the Free State, 2000) De Wet, Corene
English: Writers of narratives about the Anglo-Boer War claim that it is essential to record stories about this conflict to ensure that experiences of the people are not forgotten. This article surveys the mainly Afrikaans Anglo-Boer War fiction published since 1903. The various methods used by authors to blur the distinctions between fiction and historiography are discussed. Secondly, the diverse views on the participation of blacks in the war and their experience of it are considered. From an analysis of the mythologising of the Boers, it is clear that some authors honour the Boer fighters and their women, but that others describe them as dishonourable, cowardly and barbaric. The influence of the war on relations between Boer and Briton, black and white, those who fought to the bitter end and those who surrendered, "joiner" men and women is discussed. Finally, attention is paid to the depiction of Boer women at the time. With a few exceptions, the women were generally idealised, and depicted as the backbone of the nation, the driving force behind the Boer fighters.