Historical Fiction/ African Studies
Jeannot's War is a novel about the exploits of a young Jewish immigrant to South Africa who, by virtue of his residency in Bloemfontein, becomes involved in fighting on behalf of the Orange Free State Republic against the British Empire during the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902.
It is constructed around a series of actual letters written by the main character, Jeannot Weinberg (the grandfather of the author), both from the battlefields of the Boer War and the prison camps where he landed up. It reflects the courage, steadfastness and enthusiasm displayed by Jeannot is his peregrination through immigration to South Africa, growing up in a new and strange land, and ultimately fighting for its freedom.
It also describes the inhumane actions of the British towards the civilian population, their policy of 'scorched earth' and the creation of concentration camps in which more than 25,000 women and children died as a result of malnutrition, poor sanitation and lack of medical facilities.
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