Marisa Botha

Eksperiment en intertekstualiteit in Niggie

Summary This article focuses on the creative adaptation of Anglo-Boer-War material in Ingrid Wnterbachs Niggie [Cousin] (2002) with specific reference to the Oorlogsdagboek van Jan F.E. Celliers, 1899–1902 [War Diary of Jan F.E. Celliers, 1899–1902] (1978). A fascinating substratum of ironic commentary arises as an extra dimension in the novel as a result of the subtly suggested comparison of South African issues and perspectives a century ago with the post-1994 South Africa concerns. Topics to be discussed are the intervention debate, the evolution debates, the role of the intellectual amidst less educated people, racial issues and the theory that the character Japie Stilgemoed, in Niggie, is actually based on the poet Jan F.E. Celliers.