Gustav Schoeman Preller (4 October 1875 in Klein Schoemansdal, Klipdrift,
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
– 7 October 1943 in
Pelindaba
Pelindaba ("Pelile Ndaba", Zulu for "end of story" or "the conclusion") is South Africa's main nuclear research centre, run by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation. It is situated near the Hartbeespoort Dam, approximately 33 km (22& ...
) was a journalist, historian, writer and literary critic. He fought for the recognition of
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
. Preller helped the
Afrikaner to awake to
the importance of the history of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. He made great contributions to the writing of South African history, through his research and the literature. He also contributed greatly to making South Africans aware of the legacy of the
Voortrekkers and also played an
early part in planning the
Voortrekker Monument
The Voortrekker Monument is located just south of Pretoria in South Africa. The granite structure is located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854. It was designed by the a ...
.
Background
Gustav was the son of Comdt. Robert Logie Preller and Stefina Schoeman (daughter of the
Voortrekker
The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyo ...
Gen.
Stephanus Schoeman
Stephanus Schoeman (14 March 1810 – 19 June 1890) was President of the South African Republic from 6 December 1860 until 17 April 1862. His red hair, fiery temperament and vehement disputes with other Boer leaders earned him t ...
). His parents farmed near
Standerton
Standerton is a large commercial and agricultural town lying on the banks of the Vaal River in Mpumalanga, South Africa, which specialises in cattle, dairy, maize and poultry farming. The town was established in 1876 and named after Boer leader Co ...
where he attended school for only 3 years.
Later he worked in Pretoria as a shop-assistant, an articled clerk and a civil servant, studying diligently when he found the time.
[ When the ]Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
started, he was working as a clerk for the Department of Mines and would marry Johanna, the granddaughter of M. W. Pretorius (i.e. 'Swart Martiens', the cousin of M. W. Pretorius) and Deborah Retief, in 1898.[
During the Anglo-Boer War, he was part of the Pretoria Commando serving in the artillery but was captured at Ermelo and sent to ]India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
as a prisoner of war.[ On his return to the ]Transvaal Colony
The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...
in 1902 at the end of the war, there was no job for him at the Department of Mines and he considered emigrating to Argentina, but was offered the editorship of ''Land en Volk''.[ By 1903 he was editor of ''De Volkstem'', the mouthpiece of Louis Botha's future party, '' Het Volk''.][ He increased the circulation from 2,000 to 20,000.][
As a supporter of Louis Botha, he became a ]South African Party
nl, Zuidafrikaanse Partij
, leader1_title = Leader (s)
, leader1_name = Louis Botha,Jan Smuts, Barry Hertzog
, foundation =
, dissolution =
, merger = Het Volk South African PartyAfrikaner BondOrangia Unie
, merged ...
member from its creation in 1910 with the formation of the Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...
.He was a South African Freemason., He was editor of '' Die Brandwag'' magazine from 1910 until 1922.[ After the death of Botha in 1919 his loyalty wavered and he joined the National Party in 1925.][ He became editor of the party's mouthpiece, ''Ons Vaderland''.][ During the period of his various editorships, he conducted historical research into the histories of the Boers in Natal and the Transvaal and the ]Great Trek
The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyon ...
and Anglo-Boer wars.[ In 1936, Preller was appointed as the state historian, which position he held until his death.][
]
Bibliography
Some of his works included,
* ''Piet Retief'', 1906
* ''Voortrekkermense'', 1918–38, six volumes of documents about the Great Trek
* ''Oorlogsoormag'', 1923, study of the Anglo-Boer War
* ''Andries Pretorius'', 1938
* ''Ons Parool'', 1938
* ''Talana, Die Drie Generaals-slag by Dundee, met Lewensskets van Genl. Daniel Erasmus'', 1942
Legacy
The South African Academy of Science and Art (Afrikaans: '' Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns'') gives out the annual ''Gustav Preller Award'', which has been awarded since 1909.
Further reading
* Antonissen, Rob (1973). ''Die Afrikaanse Letterkunde - van aanvang tot hede.'' (The Afrikaans Literature - from beginning till now) Nasou.
* Dekker, G. (1974). ''Afrikaanse Literatuurgeskiedenis.'' (History of Afrikaans Literature) Nasou Limited.
* Geldenhuys, D.J.C. (1967). ''Pannevis en Preller - met hul pleidooie.'' (Pannevis and Preller - with their pleas) Johannesburg: Voortrekkerpers.
* Rousseau, Leon (1984). ''Die Groot Verlange.'' (The great yearning) Kaapstad: Human en Rousseau.
* Scholtz, J. du P. (1980). ''Wording en Ontwikkeling van Afrikaans.'' (The origin and development of Afrikaans) Kaapstad: Tafelberg-Uitgewers Limited.
References
External links
Preller Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preller, Gustav
South African journalists
South African literary critics
20th-century South African historians
1875 births
1943 deaths
Historians of South Africa
South African Freemasons