English Writers of South Africa

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Cachet: The cachet shows a still life illustration of leather bound books stacked and leaning against each other, their spines finished in green, burgundy and gold leaf tooling. One volume sits fanned open on top of the pile, its pages catching soft light. Under the illustration the words "Our Literary Heritage" appear in an elegant script, with "English writers of South Africa" printed below in matching cursive style, framing the four author stamps as a proper literary collection rather than a straightforward commemorative set.

Info card

ENGLISH WRITERS OF SOUTH AFRICA Each of the writers featured in this stamp series made a unique contribution to South African English literature. Together they span a hundred years of creative writing, from Thomas Pringle's Settler poetry of the 1820's to Pauline Smith's Little Karoo stories of the 1920's. 10c stamp — Thomas Pringle (1789-1834) Thomas Pringle is known as the father of South African poetry. He was born in Scotland in 1789 and after a brief literary career in Edinburgh he emigrated to South Africa in 1820, where he established a settlement in the Baviaans River Valley. As co-founder of the South African Journal he campaigned vigorously against the press censorship of the persensuur of Lord Charles Somerset. He returned to England in 1826 to become secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society. His South African poems and "Narrative of a Residence in South Africa" were published together as African Sketches on his death in 1834. 20c stamp — Pauline Smith (1882-1959) Born at Oudtshoorn in 1882, Pauline Smith is best known for her collection of short stories, The Little Karoo (1925), and her novel, The Beadle (1926). Both are set in the semi-arid, isolated and impoverished world of the rural Afrikaner at the turn of the century. Arnold Bennett's telling phrase "a strange, austere, tender and ruthless talent" captures the blend of sympathetic insight and unforgiving artistic integrity with which Pauline Smith depicts her characters in their human strengths and weaknesses. 25c stamp — Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) Olive Schreiner was born in 1855 near Cradock. It was while she was governess to Afrikaner families in the eastern Cape that The Story of an African Farm was written. She took the manuscript with her to England, where it was published in 1883 by Chapman and Hall. Her reputation came to depend increasingly on her gift as a political commentator and a crusader for women's rights. Thoughts on South Africa, almost certainly the best of her non-fiction works, was published posthumously by her husband, Cronwright-Schreiner. 40c stamp — Sir Percy Fitzpatrick (1862-1931) Sir James Percy Fitzpatrick is in 1862 in King William's Town born and worked at a bank in Kaapstad before moving to the goldfields of Barberton in 1884. Experiences there as a transportryer aldaar het later neerslag gevind in die bekende dokumentre The Outspan: Tales of South Africa (1897) and die dokumentre novel, Jock of the Bushveld, wat in 1907 verskyn het. Other works include The Transvaal from Within, which became a best-seller and improverished world of the rural Afrikaner at the turn of the century. Adviser to the British affairs and active in public and political life in the years leading to Union, he was knighted in 1902. ENGELSE SKRYWERS VAN SUID-AFRIKA Elkeen van die skrywers wat in hierdie seëlreeks onder die aandag kom, het 'n unieke bydrae tot die Suid-Afrikaanse Engelse letterkunde gelewer. Saam oorspan hulle 'n honderd jaar van skeppende skrywkuns, van Thomas Pringle se Setlaarspoësie van die 1820's tot die Klein-Karooverhale van Pauline Smith in die 1920's. 10c-seël — Thomas Pringle (1789-1834) Thomas Pringle staan bekend as die vader van die Suid-Afrikaanse poësie. Hy is in 1789 in Skotland gebore en het na 'n kort literêre loopbaan in Edinburgh na Suid-Afrika geëmigreer. In 1820 vestig hy 'n nedersetting in die Baviaansriviervallei gestig het. As medestigter van die South African Journal het hy sterk te velde getrek teen die persensuur teen wat Lord Charles Somerset. In 1826 het hy na Engeland teruggekeer, waar hy sekretaris van die Anti-Slawernyvereniging geword het. Sy Suid-Afrikaanse gedigte en sy "Narrative of a Residence in South Africa" is na sy dood in 1834 in een band as African Sketches gepubliseer. 20c-seël — Pauline Smith (1882-1959) Pauline Smith, wat in 1882 op Oudtshoorn gebore is, is veral bekend vir haar versameling kortverhale, The Little Karoo (1925), en haar roman The Beadle (1926). Beide speel af in die dor, afgesonderde, en verarmde wêreld van die plattelandse Afrikaner by die eeuwissel. Arnold Bennett se veelseggende frase "'n vreemde, sober, delikate en onverbiddelike talent" som die mengsel van simpatieke insig en kunstenaarsintegriteit vas. 25c-seël — Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) Olive Schreiner is in 1855 gebore. Dit was gedurende die tyd toe sy goewernante vir Afrikanergesinne in die Cradock-omgewing was dat The Story of an African Farm geskryf is. Sy het die manuskrip saamgeneem Engeland toe, waar dit in 1883 deur Chapman en Hall uitgegewe is. Haar roem het al hoe meer op haar vermoë as politieke kommentator en kampvegter vir vroueregte gesteun. Thoughts on South Africa, ongetwyfeld die beste van haar nie-fiktiewe werke, is na haar dood deur haar eggenoot, Cronwright-Schreiner, gepubliseer. 40c-seël — Sir Percy Fitzpatrick (1862-1931) Sir James Percy Fitzpatrick is in 1862 in King William's Town gebore en het by 'n bank in Kaapstad gewerk voordat hy in 1884 na die goudveld van Barberton verhuis het. Sy ervarings as transportryer aldaar het later neerslag gevind in die bekende dokumentêre The Outspan: Tales of South Africa (1897) en die dokumentêre roman Jock of the Bushveld, wat in 1907 verskyn het. Ander werke sluit in The Transvaal from Within, wat 'n topverkoper geword het. In 1902 ontvang hy 'n riddertitel vir sy dienste as adviseur aan die maatskaplike en politieke lewe in die jare voor Uniewording.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 24 February 1984 in Barberton, SAPO reference PT 4.7. It's part of a series honouring South African English writers, with portrait stamps of Thomas Pringle, Pauline Smith, Olive Schreiner and Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, all designed by J.J. van Elinckhuijzen. Barberton is a fitting postmark location since Fitzpatrick worked as a transport rider on the town's goldfields in the 1880s, experiences that later shaped his famous book Jock of the Bushveld.

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