Memories of several years in south-western Africa 1866-1871

Memories of several years in south-western Africa 1866-1871 has been translated and edited from the original Swedish edition of 1872.
memories-of-several-years
99916-40-51-7
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Title: Memories of several years in south-western Africa 1866-1871
Author: T. G. Een (Thure Johan Gustaf Een)
Translation: lone and Jalmar Rudner
Publisher: Namibia Scientific Society
Windhoek, Namibia 2004
ISBN 9991640517 / ISBN 99916-40-51-7
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 240 pages, 34 b/w-photos

Description:

Thure Johan Gustaf Een was one of several Swedes who recorded his travels in south-western Africa in the nineteenth century, one narrative succeeding and complementing the other to give an account of the people and places, the history and natural history of the region. At one time or another they all crossed paths with, or heard of, many of the main characters who contributed to the fascinating story of the region. Een's narrative is straightforward, honest, and unpretentious; his style of writing is easy. It is apparent that he was well read, had an understanding of Dutch and a very good knowledge of English, for among his favourite reading were Shakespeare's collected works in English. He is revealed as an intelligent, honest, balanced, and humanitarian person with a dislike of pretension and humbug. He was friendly and on good terms with his associates in South West Africa, but was critical of the actions and motives of some, such as the German missionaries, and particularly of Carl Hugo Hahn. Not much information on Een's life, other than what can be ascertained from his book, Memories of several years in south-western Africa 1866-1871, has been found. Thure Een was born on 9 April 1837 in the parish of Herrestad, Ostergotland, in central Sweden. He went to school in the old convent town of Vadstena, and thereafter passed the examinations for Master Mariner to become a sea-captain. Looking for work, he came to Cape Town in mid-February 1866. Here Een met Charles John Andersson, the Swedish trader and explorer, who was in the Cape for medical treatment for a gunshot wound received during a battle between the Herero and Nama forces in 1864. Andersson was also arranging a new trading- and hunting-expedition to south-west Africa. Een, and with him the later well known Axel Wilhelm Eriksson, applied to go along and was accepted. In this book Thure Johan Gustaf Een describes his adventures and impression until his return to Sweden in 1871.