Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006 [1 ed.] 9781940729169, 9781940729152

Mary Lederer provides a valuable critical/historical survey of the genesis and development of the English novel in Botsw

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Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006 [1 ed.]
 9781940729169, 9781940729152

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Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved. Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

novels of

Botswana

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved.

in english, 1930-2006

Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved. Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

novels of

Botswana

in english, 1930-2006

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved.

mary s. lederer

african heritage press new york lagos london 2014

Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

african heritage press First Edition, African Heritage Press, 2014 Copyright © Mary S. Lederer, 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress catalog number: 2014934099 Lederer, Mary S. Cover Design: Dapo Ojoade

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved.

ISBN: ! !!

Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved.

For Bruce

Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved. Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 There Was No Place Like Home—Botswana Novels in English 21 “Literary” Novels of Botswana 51 Paper Safari—Adventure Novels of Botswana 91 Lady Detectives—Alexander McCall Smith and Lauri Kubuitsile 115

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved.

The Possibility of Justice—Bessie Head and Unity Dow 135 Conclusion 161 Appendix: New Publications Since 2007 167 Works Cited 169 Index 177

Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved. Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved.

acknowledgements I would like to thank the following for their assistance: Michelle Commeyras, Grant Lilford, Reshoketjoe Lilford, and Felix Mnthali and Leloba Molema of the University of Botswana English Department for reading versions of the manuscript and making very helpful suggestions; the University of Botswana, where I was lecturer in English until 2005, for sponsoring me to attend a number of conferences where several of these chapters were presented in a preliminary form; my cousin Mark Lederer and my uncle Richard Lederer (not the author of Anguished English) of Madison, Wisconsin, my friend Wendy Belcher of Princeton, New Jersey, and my father-in-law, R. G. T. Bennett, of Christchurch, New Zealand, for library assistance in getting materials that were not available to me in Botswana; Neil Parsons, formerly of the University of Botswana History Department, for introducing me to A Desert of Salt and other books and thus helping the idea for this book take shape; the editorial team at African Heritage Press for carefully reading and editing the manuscript; the Wednesday Ladies, especially Leloba Molema, Nobantu Rasebotsa, Johanna Stiebert, Laurel Lanner, Maitseo Bolaane, Pinkie Mekgwe, Reshoketjoe Lilford, and Treasa Galvin; my family, of course; and most of all, my husband, Bruce Bennett, who read most of the novels under discussion, commented on various drafts of every chapter, discussed the project with me continually, and encouraged and supported me in every possible way. Ke itumetse.

ix

Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved. Lederer, S.. Novels of Botswana in English, 1930-2006, African Heritage Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

introduction

“A nation without a past is a lost nation, and a people without a past is a people without a soul.” —;QZ ;MZM\[M 3PIUI ÅZ[\ 8ZM[QLMV\ of the Republic of Botswana1

_MV\aÅ^MaMIZ[IOWUIVaXMWXTMXZWJIJTa\PW]OP\*W\[_IVI_I[WVMWN ;W]\P)NZQKI¼[PWUMTIVL[KWVN][QVO— WZKWUJQVQVO—Q\_Q\PQ\[¹VMQOPJWZº*WXP]\PI\[_IVI8IZ\WN  the confusion of where—and what—Botswana is stems from Q\[ XI[\ IVL Q\[ ]V][]IT [\I\][ QV \PM KWTWVQIT MUXQZM 8IZ\ WN  the confusion probably also arises from the rather quiet nature WN \PMXTIKMQ\[MTN\PW]OP\PMZMIZMWN KW]Z[MTW\[WN NIUW][ \PQVO[QV*W\[_IVI=VQ\ML;\I\M[XZM[QLMV\[UISMPQOPXZWÅTM

Copyright © 2014. African Heritage Press. All rights reserved.

T

/ZIL]I\QWV[XMMKPI[+PIVKMTTWZWN =VQ^MZ[Q\aWN *W\[_IVI4M[W\PW and Swaziland on 15 May 1970 (Botswana Daily News, 19 May 1970, supXTMUMV\Y\LQV