Herman Charles Bosman

Herman Charles Bosman (1905-1951) [1] was a South African writer, dramatist and journalist

Biography

Famous for his short stories set against the background of the Marico district in Western Transvaal. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Will-o'-the-Wisp, Ben Eath, Ben Africa, Ben Onion, Ferdinand Fandango, Herman Malan or simply as H.C.B.

Education

Bosman was educated at Jeppe High School and the University of the Witwatersrand, where he trained as a teacher.

Plays

He wrote three short one-act plays:

• The Urge of the Primordial (1925)

• Mara (1932)

• Street-Woman (1951).

Adaptations of other writing

A number of his other works have been dramatised, notably of course the popular "Oom Schalk Lourens" series of short stories done as one-man shows by Patrick Mynhardt (beginning with A Sip of Jerepigo in 1969, More Jerepigo, **), which were immensely popular till well into the 21st century. Other performers who have done these stories include Percy Sieff, David Muller and Paul Luckhoff (Oom Schalk Lourens Se Mampoerstories, 2015)

Other dramatizations of his works include Cold Stone Jug (text by Stephen Gray, first directed by Barney Simon for the Baxter Theatre, 1980), and Marico Moonshine and Mampoer, inspired by certain Bosman stories, was directed by Janice Honeyman and Barney Simon at the Market Theatre in 1981.

Sources

https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Charles_Bosman

De Beer, 1995;

Gosher, 1988;

Gray 200*;

MacKenzie, C. (ed). 2003. Young Bosman - The Anniversary Edition. Human & Rousseau.

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