Ethnographic Romance: Allister Miller and Settler Writing in Swaziland

Abstract

This article situates Mamisa, the Swazi Warrior, in the rich tradition of settler writing and, more specifically, within the genre of imperial romance. It draws upon translation theory to argue that Allister Miller’s novel is an extended act of ventriloquism that attempts to rewrite Swaziland by submerging the reader in a primitive world in order to open temporal and spatial borders to prospective pioneers and obliquely attract further European settlement.

Opsomming

Hierdie artikel plaas Mamisa, die Swazi krygsman, midde in die ryk tradisie van setlaarliteratuur, en meer in die besonder, midde in die genre vorstelike romanse. Dit put uit die vertalingsteorie om aan te voer dat Allister Miller se roman ‘n uitgebreide aksie van buikspraak is wat poog om Swaziland te herskryf deur die leser te betrek in ‘n primitiewe wêreld om temporale en ruimtelike grense vir voornemende pioniers te open en indirek verdere Europese nedersetting te lok.