About Mhudi

Mhudi is the first novel written in English by a Black person in Africa. Standwolf’s completely unique and reedited version uses Plaatje’s original phrasing and unique spelling. The book has an introduction explaining the history and life of one of the seminal works of South Africanfiction.

The novel begins with the sacking of the Baralong capital at the hands of Mzilikazi. It goes on to tell of the alliance the Boers formed with the Baralong in order to defeat the Matabele. The novel is, in many ways, an expression of Plaatje’s socio-political thought, but it is also a romance. It tells of the love between Mhudi and her husband, Ra-Thaga. And the novel shows just what the love of a wise woman can achieve.

The story revolves around the strong-willed and intelligent Mhudi, who ‘sees quite through the deeds of men’. Ra-Thaga, her husband, conversely sees, rather naively, only the good in people, in particular the Boers. And throughout the novel, one gets the sense that much of Mhudi’s personality comes from one lived off the page. It would not be surprising if the model for this woman was Plaatje’s own wife, Elizabeth.

About Sol Plaatje

Sol Plaatje was a South African intellectual, journalist, linguist, politician, translator, and writer. He was one of the most brilliant politicians of his age, whose charm and wit allowed him to befriend some of the most extraordinary people, including even the minister of native affairs.

Plaatje was a founding member and first General Secretary of the African National Congress. Born in 1876, he was educated at a mission station in the Cape Colony and went on to become a famous politician, writer, and newspaper editor. His novel Mhudi is one of the cornerstones of South African literature.