Moederloos

Moederloos (lit "motherless") is a Dutch and Afrikaans play, based on an English a story by Fanny Eden (Fanny Eadon Horner, 1849–1945).

The original text

The play seems to be based on Moederloos!, a Dutch translation of the English tale Motherless! by Fanny Eden (Fanny Eadon Horner, 1801-1849). The tale was published W.B. Horner & Son, London & Dublin in Horner's Penny stories for the people. no. 73, [approximately 1889] and the better known Dutch version first published in Doetinchem by C. Misset, ca. 1896.

P.S. In some sources it is suggested that a play named Motherless (circa 1910-15) was a possibly translation Les Deux Orphelines (D'Ennery and Cormon), by an unnamed author. However this seems to be pure speculation.

Translations and adaptations

The Dutch version appears to have been adapted for the stage sometime in the early 20th century, and was then translated into Afrikaans. The name of the actual translator is uncertain, the sources mentioning three names at least (Jean Plaat-Stultjes, Ignatius Mocke and P. J. Marais). The Dutch text of the novel was translated by Marais initially, for the 1926 publication. The play text was probably adapted for the stage in Dutch and performed by Plaat-Stultjes with an Afrikaans translation edited by Mocke. On Plaat-Stultje's death, it seems Mocke did another version of the play for Willem van Zyl and his company.

The original tale was published as Moederloos (in Marais's Afrikaans translation) by J.H. de Bussy in 1926 and reprinted by HAUM in 1948.