Overview

A new analysis of the conflict considered a precursor to the World Wars and the originator of South African apartheid. The Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) is one of the most intriguing conflicts of modern history. It has been labeled many things- the first media war, a precursor of the First and Second World Wars, the originator of apartheid. The difference in status and resources between the superpower Great Britain and two insignificant Boer republics in southern Africa was enormous. But, against all expectation, it took the British every effort and a huge sum of money to win the war, not least by unleashing a campaign of systematic terror against the civilian population. InThe Boer War, winner of the Netherland's 2013 Libris History Prize and shortlisted for the 2013 AKO Literature Prize, the author brings a completely new perspective to this chapter of South African history, critically examining the involvement of the Netherlands in the war. Furthermore, unlike other accounts, Martin Bossenbroek explores the war primarily through the experiences of three men uniquely active during the bloody conflict. They are Willem Leyds, the Dutch lawyer who was to become South African Republic state secretary and eventual European envoy; Winston Churchill, then a British war reporter; and Deneys Reitz, a young Boer commando. The vivid and engaging experiences of these three men enable a more personal and nuanced story of the war to be told, and at the same time offer a fresh approach to a conflict that shaped the nation state of South Africa.

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9781609807474

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Bossenbroek seems able to read the hearts and souls of the protagonists of the Boer War without doing any disservice to the truth or the facts. This is what gives The Boer War--as thrilling a read as a kids' adventure storyy--it's gravity and elegance. Bossenbroek lifts the genre of nonfiction to a higher plane. -- NRC Handelsblad (Holland's leading daily newspaper of record, akin to the New York Times) You know how the war will end, and even so, The Boer War reads like a 460-page thriller. Bossenbroek has worked wonders. --Het Parool (Amsterdam-based Dutch-language daily newspaper)

Author Information

MARTIN BOSSENBROEKis an associate professor and historian at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He graduated from the Free University of Amsterdam in 1980 and received his doctorate from the University of Leiden in 1992. He is the author of many scholarly articles, andThe Boer Waris his seventh published book. TranslatorYVETTE ROSENBERGwas born in Johannesburg and educated at the universities of Cape Town and Natal. After immigrating to the Netherlands, she was employed as a translator and editor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague from 1983 to 2005. Since 1995 she has also worked on numerous freelance translation projects, including for the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. She lives in Amsterdam and Cape Town.

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