Sol Plaatje: A life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje 1876-1932
£25.95
41 Available
ISBN
9781431426447
Sol Plaatje: A life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje 1876-1932 is available to buy in increments of 1
This new biography tells the story of Plaatje’s remarkable life, setting it in the context of the changes that overtook South Africa during his lifetime, and the huge obstacles that confronted him. It draws upon extensive research in archives in Southern Africa, Europe and the US, as well as an expanding scholarship on Plaatje and his writings.
It sheds new light not only on Plaatje’s public struggles and achievements but upon his personal life and his relationships with his wife and family, friends and supporters. It pays special attention to his formative years, looking to his roots in chiefly societies, his education and upbringing on a German-run mission, and his exposure to the legal and political ideas of the nineteenth-century Cape Colony as key factors in inspiring and sustaining a life of more or less ceaseless endeavour.
| Weight | 0.950000 |
|---|---|
| ISBN13/Barcode | 9781431426447 |
| ISBN10 | 143142644X |
| Author | WILLAN, Brian |
| Binding | Paperback |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 6th November 2018 |
| Pages | 712 |
| Publisher | Jacana |
‘The definitive portrait of a great South African – a stunning biographical achievement’ – Laurence Wright
‘When a master craftsman spends decades engaging with a historical figure of towering proportions and importance one has all the makings of a classic. Willan’s Sol Plaatje should stand – centre-shelf – in every personal and public library in southern Africa and beyond because it offers us a magnificent evocation of the life of one of our greatest countrymen.’ – Charles van Onselen
‘This is a commanding – and important – biography of Sol Plaatje with a clear purpose, to bring to light a story of how this very remarkable South African figure understood himself, and to illuminate the ideas and beliefs that sustained him. A blockbuster of humane historical writing and a monumental research achievement.’ –Bill Nasson
'It takes a historian who has invested many years in research to write a biography as detailed as this one. Willan relates Plaatje’s story so well and with amazing skill. This biography is a pleasure to read. It is as detailed as it is beautifully written in accessible language.’ -Sabata-mpho Mokae
REVIEWS:
‘Willan’s book is, in its field, a masterpiece of writing and research. There are few of these kinds of books around in the world and fewer still in South Africa.’
- Matthew Blackman in Mail and Guardian, 28 September 2018
‘Magisterial is an apt description of this massive biography – for depth of research, breadth of context and precision of writing. “South Africa has an extraordinary capacity to distort its past,” writes Brian Willan. He has done an enormous amount to put one significant life into clear perspective.’
- Christopher Merrett in The Witness, 1 October 2018
‘Its as thick as Long Walk to Freedom but is easier to read and as lovingly published by Jacana. Packed with descriptions of the decades before and after union, when the foundations of SA’ shaky state were laid, Willan has established himself as the leading expert on Plaatje and as an authoritative observer of the story of the nation’.
- Hans Pienaar, in Business Day, 29 November 2018