A century ago, one of the five most recognizable names in the world
was arguably that of Paul Kruger, president of the Transvaal
Republic-a small Southern African country inhabited by a white
tribe-who took on the overwhelming superiority of the mighty
British Empire in defense of his people's sovereign independence.
It was a David and Goliath story. As most of the world-including
the US-cheered the Boers on, they fought a desperate war to the
bitter end (1899-1902) against colonialism, until their country lay
smoldering in ruins and an estimated 27, 929 Boer women and
children, as well as an untold number of blacks, had died in
British concentration camps.
Yet within little more than half a century, those same Afrikaners
had squandered their political capital and gone from being the
world's favorite underdog to one of the most reviled names in
history. Their subsequent social engineering project known as
apartheid became an abhorrent concept in the eyes of the
international community.
Bernard Botes Kruger is a fifth-generation descendant of the
wartime president, Paul Kruger. He is an Afrikaner who lived most
of his life in the turmoil and conflict that has dominated his
country's history. His new historical novel, "A Battlement of
Spears, " tells the remarkable story of how not only the
Afrikaners, but also the many other former sovereign nations within
the redrawn borders of the postwar South Africa struggled to come
to terms with a common identity, often with devastating
consequences. "What cruel twist of tectonic irony caused the
deepest scar on the earth's surface across the face of that
continent that would also suffer the most appalling of human
tragedies?" the author asks.
Set against the backdrop of the timeless mountain called in Zulu
"uKhahlamba" (Barrier of Spears), a dramatic geographic boundary
that divided nations throughout history, "A Battlement of Spears"
is an epic story spanning twenty-four years and two continents, of
two young men with similar interests but vastly different cultural
backgrounds who become unlikely friends. In a tragic series of
events they will discover what sacrifices are exacted from those
who would dwell in the symbolic no man's land of the summit, where
fog often obscures the vision and deprivation dulls the senses,
until it becomes all too easy to drift into hostile territory or
stumble into the jaws of the precipice. In the process they will
become separated, spending a lifetime before finding each other
again a world away, on a different continent. But in the course of
their respective journeys, they will also learn that barriers are
not always what they seem, and that choices are sometimes
inevitable, with far-reaching consequences. In that hauntingly
beautiful land it is never merely about survival, but about the
things that make it truly worthwhile, such as loyalty, friendship
and honor, regardless of the price.
Do not go into this story expecting to encounter the usual themes
of race. To consider South Africa synonymous with racial hatred
would be an oversimplification. This story is not about race. In
fact, despite the elaborately drawn details highlighting many of
the customs of traditional cultures-Portuguese, Zulus, KhoiSan,
Afrikaners, rural and urban, conservative and revolutionary-the
story is not even uniquely South African. It is not about
apartheid, or about Blacks, or Whites. Rather, it is about the
countless 'gray' people of many different cultures, ordinary
individuals simply looking to survive, who become trapped in the
consummation of historical inevitabilities that are neither of
their doing, nor of their choosing.
Written in a style that endeavors to entertain while enlightening
the uninformed about South A
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
