526pp., paperback, First English Language Edition, Pretoria, 2022
Originally published in Polish in 2012.
This history is divided into three historical periods: the Dutch colonial period (1652-1795), the British colonial period (first part of the 19th century) and the time of the language movements (latter half of the 19th century).
"Koch is an erudite scholar. The discussions of the works of the authors are full of insight, and the descriptions of their lives are often quite moving. I especially appreciated the author's empathy with these older writers, who often harboured ideas which are not acceptable anymore - there are no easy condemnations from a later perspective. The manuscript is also written in a fluent, readable style." Professor Chris van der Merwe, University of Cape Town
Jerzy Koch is Professor in the Department of Dutch and South African Studies at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, and Research Fellow at the Free State University, Bloemfontein, South Africa.