Shaka's Children: A History of the Zulu People [Paperback]

Stephen Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1996

Shaka, founder of the Zulu nation, has been portrayed as a pitiless and savage conqueror who depopulated much of southern Africa. Yet in the 1820s, British fortune-seekers who came upon the Zulu described a civilized and dignified people whose martial skills were tempered by generosity and hospitality. As expanding colonial populations entered Zuluterritory, an image grew up of the Zulu warrior as a regimented man-killing machine. Only from the ashes of Isandlwana and Rorke's drift was the Zulu resurrected as a noble savage, magnificent, particularly in defeat. This account conjures the atmosphere of the past through close adherence to contemporary oral sources. The Zulu world - its passions, intrigues and ideals, the sly white traders, the sqabbling Boers, the thunderous battles and the bright African landscape are all explored in detail.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Western literature abounds with histories of nations and their leaders, but few texts have been offered on Africa's fierce and enduring Zulu people. Stephen Taylor, a writer for The Times of London, tells of the rise to power of Shaka, who engineered a bloody conquest of African lands and struggle against British imperialism. In addition, Taylor folds the remarkable history of the Zulu nation into an examination of the tribe's burgeoning nationalism and its relationship with the Xhosa people and whites in present-day South Africa.

Review

A concise and up-to-date history of the Zulu people intended for a wide readership ... welcomed, all the more so because Shaka's life and heritage have renewed significance in modern South Africa. -- The New York Times Book Review, Noel Mostert

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (July 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006384684
• ISBN-13: 978-0006384687
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #891,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and free of academic mumbo-jumbo., November 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shaka's Children: History of the Zulu People (Hardcover)

Because this book was released at the same time as John Laband released "Rope of Sand" there were bound to be comparisons, but Taylor escaped virtually unscathed. While Laband's masterpiece is majestic and quite brilliant, Taylor has assured his readers of an entertaining journey through nineteenth-century Zululand. Although there is no ground-breaking material contained in the book, it is well-researched and cleverly written. Taylor quotes extensively from the James Stuart Archives and other reliable sources. Sometimes, for instance when he writes about the relationship between the young Shaka and his mother Nandi, the tone becomes cluttered with melodrama. But there is no doubt that the age was one of great drama, and so Taylor is excused the verbose frillings. In conclusion, then, this is a fine historical book, worthy of any library and a tempting setwork for future South African history scholars.