MHUDI, an epic of South African native life a hundred years ago

248pp., paperback, Reprint, Johannesburg, (1930) 2021

Introduction to this new edition by Sabata-mpho Mokae.

The first full-length novel in English to have been written by a black South African, Mhudi is set in the 1830s during a war between the Barolong, Boers and Matabele.

"Mhudi is more than a classic; there is just no other book on earth like it. All the stature and grandeur of the author are in it." Bessie Head, author of When Rain Clouds Gather, Maru and A Question of Power

Solomon Plaatje (1876-1932) was a court interpreter, diarist, journalist, newspaper editor, author, translator and a spokesperson for black rights. He was one of the founders of the African National Congress in 1912 and its first General Secretary. He is the author of Mafeking Dairy and Native Life in South Africa.

Introduction to this new edition by Sabata-mpho Mokae, who teaches Creative Writing in African Languages at Sol Plaatje University. His books include The Story of Sol T. Plaatje and, with Brian Willan, Sol Plaatje's "Mhudi": history, criticism, celebration and Sol T. Plaatje: a life in letters

The text is edited by Brian Willan, Extraordinary Professor at Sol Plaatje University and North West University. His books include Sol Plaatje: selected writings and Sol Plaatje: a life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje, 1876-1932