'The Story of an African Farm' was South African author Olive Schreiner's first published
novel. It was an immediate success and has become recognised as one of the first feminist
novels. The novel details the lives of three characters first as children and then as adults -
Waldo Em and Lyndall - who live on a farm in the Karoo region of South Africa. The story is
set in the middle- to late-19th century - the First Boer War is alluded to but not mentioned
by name. The book is semi-autobiographical: in particular the two principal protagonists
(Waldo and Lyndall) display strong similarities to Schreiner's life and philosophy. The book
was first published in London under the pseudonym Ralph Iron. It quickly became a best-seller
despite causing some controversy over its frank portrayal of freethought feminism premarital
sex and pregnancy out of wedlock and transvestitism.
