Eugène Nielen Marais

Eugène Nielen Marais (1871-1936)[1] was a naturalist, journalist and advocate, and a pioneering Afrikaans writer of poetry, prose and drama.

Also known as Eugène N. Marais or simply Eugène Marais (sometimes written Eugene Marais).

This entry still being written and edited

Biography

Born Eugène Nielen Marais

Contribution to South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance

Besides his internationally known behavioural field studies (The Soul of the White Ant, The Soul of the Ape and My Friends, the Baboons, he is best remembered for his enthralling, but sombre lyric poetry and his short stories (of which some have also been dramatised).

He wrote a number of less memorable plays. These include Die Swart Verraad ("The Black Treason") performed by KMDOS in 1933), Nag (published posthumously in 1937), *** and ***.

Books and dramatised works based on the life of Eugène Nielen Marais

A complex character, he has been the subject of many works of academic study and creative writing. For example, besides entries in books on South African literature, two fine biographies have been written about him:

Biographies

Die Groot Verlange by Leon Rousseau (published by Human and Rousseau, 1982, also in an English version as The Dark Stream).

[[]]

Films

Two impressive films have also been made, both concerned with a particularly traumatic period in his life when he spent a few months on the Van Rooyen family's farm to deal with his addiction problem:

The Guest: An episode in the Life of Eugène Marais (written by Athol Fugard and directed by Ross Devenish, 1977, also published in 1977[2], also released in Afrikaans as Die Besoeker: 'n episode in die lewe van Eugène Marais)

Die Wonderwerker (written by Chris Barnard and directed by Katinka Heyns, 2012[3]),

Stage plays include:

His scientific study The Soul of the White Ant was used as a thematic stimulus and title by playwright Snoo Wilson for his 1976 surreal comedy about the racial tensions in South Africa. The play features Marais as one of the characters and the text was published by Samuel French.

Prophet of the Waterberg by Nicky Rebelo, first performed in 2005.

while a stage play (** ) by ** deals with Marais and his relationship with C. Louis Leipoldt

Besides the above,