âWoman and Labourâ (1911) was written by South African writer and intellectual, Olive Schreiner, best known for her novels âFrom Man to Man or Perhaps Onlyâ (1926) and âUndineâ (1929).
This collection of letters represents Schreinerâs call for changes to the gender inequalities of early 20th-century labour practices. In it, she explains how womenâs domestic labour destroys their intellectual life and the importance of a woman having full economic independence from men.
The collection includes letters written while Schreiner lived in England as well as on her return to South Africa, and it is regarded as a feminist classic.
Fans of Schreiner's novel âThe Story of an African Farmâ (1883) or people interested in feminism, will be delighted by this collection.
Olive Schreiner (1855 â1920) was a South African author, anti-war campaigner, intellectual and feminist, best known for her highly acclaimed novel âThe Story of an African Farmâ (1883).
An advocate for Afrikaners and other minority South African groups, Schreinerâs work reflected her interest in socialism, pacifism, feminism and other issues.
Her posthumously published novel âFrom Man to Man or Perhaps Onlyâ (1926) was said to be her favourite. It dealt with the life of white women in South Africa and their confinement to domestic life. The novel also covers the racism and sexism the author grew up with on the colonial frontier.
Schreinerâs other works include âDreamsâ (1890), âDream Life and Real Lifeâ (1893), âTrooper Peter Halket of Mashonalandâ (1897), âThoughts on South Africaâ (1923), and âUndineâ (1929).