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), 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 ***.

A complex character, he himself has been the subject of a gripping biography by Leon Rousseau (The Dark Stream, Human and Rousseau, 1982), two films (The Guest, 199* and Die Wonderwerker, 2012), and a stage play (** ) by ** which deals with Marais and his relationship with C. Louis Leipoldt