Something of Themselves

Kipling, Kingsley, Conan Doyle and the Anglo-Boer War

By: Sarah LeFanu

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Hardcover | 6 January 2020

At a Glance

Hardcover
352 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.6

Hardcover

$73.90

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In early 1900, the paths of three English writers--Rudyard Kipling, Mary Kingsley and Arthur Conan Doyle--crossed in South Africa, during what's become known as Britain's last imperial war. Each of the three had pressing personal reasons to leave England behind, but they were also motivated by notions of patriotism, duty, service and, in the case of Kipling, what was called jingoism. In this compelling biography, Sarah LeFanu opens an unexplored chapter of these writers' lives, at a turning point for Britain and its imperial ambitions. She brings together many anecdotes and voices, including the stories of anti-war activist Olive Schreiner in the Cape, future ANC founder Solomon Plaatje, and Conan Doyle's assistant Charles Blasson, one of the thousands who fell victim to typhoid. Was the South African War, as Kipling claimed, a dress rehearsal for the Armageddon of World War One? Or did it instead foreshadow the anti-colonial guerrilla wars of the later twentieth century? Weaving a rich and varied narrative, LeFanu charts these writers' lives in the theatre of war, and explores how this crucial period shaped their cultural legacies, their shifting reputations, and their influence on colonial policy.

Industry Reviews

'Through careful research and compelling writing, Sara LeFanu brings to life three great writers of the Victorian world and draws them together in a moment of imperial reconfiguration. ... [Something of Themselves] succeeds in avoiding the predictability of conventional biography and helps us rethink the literary geographies of the period.'

-- Journeys journal

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