
The Story of an African Farm
'The Story of an African Farm' Summary
The novel details the lives of three characters, first as children and then as adults – Waldo, Em and Lyndall – who live on a farm in the Karoo region of South Africa. The story is set in the middle- to late-19th century – the First Boer War is alluded to, but not mentioned by name. The book is semi-autobiographical: in particular, the two principal protagonists (Waldo and Lyndall) display strong similarities to Schreiner's life and philosophy.
The book was first published in 1883 in London, under the pseudonym Ralph Iron. It quickly became a best-seller, despite causing some controversy over its frank portrayal of freethought, feminism, premarital sex and pregnancy out of wedlock, and transvestitism.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1883Authors

Olive Schreiner
South Africa
Olive Schreiner was a South African author, anti-war campaigner and intellectual. She is best remembered today for her novel The Story of an African Farm (1883), which has bee...
Books by Olive SchreinerDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Infelizes: histórias vividas by Ana de Castro Osório
In 'Infelizes: Histórias Vividas,' Ana de Castro Osório recounts a collection of fourteen poignant short stories that encapsulate her encounters with...

Backwater (Pilgrimage, Vol. 2) by Dorothy Richardson
In "Backwater," Dorothy Richardson's second novel in the "Pilgrimage" series, Miriam Henderson, the central character, continues her journey of self-d...

Fanny Hill by John Cleland
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure—popularly known as Fanny Hill (possibly an anglicisation of the Latin mons veneris, mound of Venus)—is an erotic novel...

Browns at Mt. Hermon by Pansy (Isabella Macdonald Alden)
Mary Thornton Brown, a wealthy heiress, decides to spend the summer working as a hired girl at a boarding house. She is seeking a change from her priv...

Grüne Heinrich (zweite Fassung) by Gottfried Keller
Der Grüne Heinrich ist ein tiefgründiger Bildungsroman, der die Entwicklung des jungen Heinrich Lee, einem talentierten, aber unsteten Künstler, von d...

Sleeping Fires by Gertrude Atherton
Set in California during the 1800s, 'Sleeping Fires' tells the story of a woman who defies societal expectations and the rigid rules of her time to pu...

Bostonians, Vol. 1 & 2 by Henry James
In the heart of Boston, a tale of love, loyalty, and the clash between tradition and progress unfolds. Basil Ransom, a staunch conservative from the D...

Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy
Resurrection, first published in 1899, was the last novel written by Leo Tolstoy. Also translated as The Awakening. The book is the last of his major...

Lady Makbeth des Mzensker Landkreises by Nikolai Leskov
Lady Macbeth des Mzensker Landkreises is a novella by Nikolai Leskov that explores the dark consequences of passion and ambition. Katerina Lwowna, tra...

A Raw Youth by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Adolescent, also translated as A Raw Youth or An Accidental Family, is a novel by Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, first published in monthly ins...
Reviews for The Story of an African Farm
No reviews posted or approved, yet...