Dreams

Olive Schreiner, a pioneering South African writer and intellectual born in 1855 to missionary parents in the Eastern Cape, emerged as one of the earliest advocates for womens rights. Fiercely critical of British Imperialism, she opposed its racist policies toward the Boers, Jews, Indians, and the Black communities of South Africa. Her outspoken support for the Boers led to the burning of her manuscripts and home during the Anglo-Boer War, as well as her internment in a concentration camp for several years. Schreiners debut novel, The Story of an African Farm, published in 1883, became an instant bestseller and is heralded as one of the first feminist novels, marking her as the first internationally successful South African novelist. Her second book, Dreams, released in 1891, is a captivating collection of eleven allegorical stories, often resembling prose poems. It received critical acclaim upon its release and went through numerous editions until her passing in 1920. Like her first work, Dreams was embraced as a feminist text, particularly cherished by Suffragettes who found resonance within its pages during their time in prison. Additionally, her later work, Woman and Labour, published in 1911, became a cornerstone of feminist literature, often referred to as the Bible of the Womens Movement. - Summary by Noel Badrian