Eugene Nielen Marais

(1871-1936). A pioneer of Afrikaans literature, poet, playwright, naturalist, journalist and advocate. Besides his internationally known behavioural field studies (The Soul of the White Ant, The Soul of the Ape and My Friends, the Baboons - the first of which has been dramatised), and his enthralling but sombre lyric poetry and short stories (of which some have also been dramatised).

He wrote a number of plays. These include Die Swart Verraad ("The Black Treason") performed by KMDOS in 1933), Nag (published posthumously in 1937), *** and ***. A complex character, he himself has been the subject of a gripping biography by Leon Rousseau (The Dark Stream, Human and Rousseau, 1982) and two films, The Guest, scripted by and starring Athol Fugard, and directed by Ross Devenish (, 19**) and Die Wonderwerker, written by Chris Barnard, directed by Katinka Heyns, and starring Dawid Minnaar. (2012). A stage play (** ) by ** also deals with Marais and his relationship with C. Louis Leipoldt