Zulu Women by Rebecca Hourwich Reyher
In 1934, American writer Rebecca Hourwich Reyher recorded the remarkable life story of Christina Sibiya, the first of sixty-five wives of the uncrowned king of the Zulus. What Reyher faithfully recorded--and then crafted into a moving narrative--is the riveting story of a South African woman who entered life among the Zulu royal family and then, after enduring psychological and physical abuse, found the courage to leave. In 1915, fifteen-year-old Christina Sibiya left teaching at a mission school to become the first wife of Solomon ka Dinuzulu. While at the royal household, Sibiya successfully adjusted to the expectations of her new position, finding her place among the other wives, and negotiating Zulu and Christian tradition. The royal headquarters, however, became increasingly plagued by divisiveness, dissolution, and ill health. After a series of hardships, climaxing in a beating by Solomon, Sibiya, at the age of twenty-eight, escaped to Durban. Although pursued by Solomon's representative, Sibiya successfully resisted Solomon's authority by testifying first in a European magistrate's court, and then at the royal headquarters, that her marriage was invalid. First published in 1948, Zulu Woman is placed in new context by an introduction and afterword which consider the book's relationship to other African literature and oral history, attend to questions of power and authorship, and draw upon newly available archival materials.
Rebecca Hourwich Reyher (1897-1987), an active member of the National Women's Party, began a career as a writer in the 1920s, focusing her work on women in South Africa.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781558612037 |
| ISBN 10 | 1558612033 |
| Title | Zulu Women |
| Author | Rebecca Hourwich Reyher |
| Series | Women Writing Africa Ser |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Feminist Press at The City University of New York |
| Year published | 1999-03-01 |
| Number of pages | 228 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |