Morenga Book

Morenga engages the mind on many levels - historical, political, philosophical, human. Set in German West South Africa in the first decade of the twentieth century, the novel recounts the conflict between the colonial German empire and the rebellious Africans of the Hottentot and Herero tribes led by the legendary Morenga. A daring and brilliant military tactician referred to as the "Herero Bastard," he was fluent in several languages and by all reports a man of compassion, intelligence, and integrity determined to lead his people towards freedom.

Morenga is a fascinating story and Timm tells it with an ingenious mix of fact and fiction. Central to the narrative is Gottschalk, an engaging fictional military veterinarian who keeps a diary which blends excerpts from actual historic sources with gripping accounts of everyday life and military excursions. The parallels between events of Germany's colonial period and the undertakings of the soon to arrive Third Reich (with its expansion of the themes of racial inferiority and the untermensch) are drawn with a brilliant subtlety. Morenga is an intriguing novel of scope and significance and it has been well served by Breon Mitchell's fine translation.