author
Olive Schreiner
1855–1920
A pioneering South African novelist and essayist, she wrote with unusual force about freedom, gender, empire, and the moral strain of modern life. Best known for The Story of an African Farm, she helped open new possibilities for both feminist writing and South African literature.
8 Audiobooks
The Story of an African Farm
by Olive Schreiner
Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland
by Olive Schreiner
Dreams
by Olive Schreiner
Woman and Labour
by Olive Schreiner
Dream Life and Real Life: A Little African Story
by Olive Schreiner
Thoughts on South Africa
by Olive Schreiner
Ratsumies Peter Halket Mashonamaasta
by Olive Schreiner
The South African Question
by Olive Schreiner
About the author
Born in 1855 in the Cape Colony, Olive Schreiner grew up in a large missionary family and had little formal schooling. Much of her education was self-directed, and that independent cast of mind shaped both her fiction and her political writing.
Her best-known book, The Story of an African Farm (1883), brought her international attention and is widely regarded as a landmark in South African literature. She also became known for essays and public arguments on women's rights, social justice, and war, writing in a voice that was bold, searching, and often far ahead of its time.
Schreiner spent parts of her life in South Africa and Britain, struggled with poor health, and remained deeply engaged with the politics of her era. She died in 1920, but her work still stands out for its mix of literary imagination, moral seriousness, and fierce independence.