Dramatis Personae

The ‘Dramatis Personae’ provides biographical and other information about all the people to whom Olive Schreiner wrote letters, and also concerning a large number of the people her letters mention as well. Where appropriate and possible, references to the South African and the Oxford dictionaries of national biography and also other relevant publications have been provided.

Just click on the letters of the alphabet below to see the information. In addition, clicking on the live links on people’s names in Olive Schreiner’s letters will also take you straight to this information.

Key:  signifies the person is a recipient (and mentioned) |  signifies the person is only mentioned

Name	Description
Abdurahman, Abdullah	Abdullah Abdurahman (1872 - 1940) was a South African political leader who championed the rights of ...
Adams, George	George Adams was an important figure in the life of Schreiner’s close friend Edward Carpenter....
Addams, Jane	Jane Addams (1860 - 1935) was an American social campaigner, suffragette and peace worker, and in 19...
Alexander, Morris	Morris Alexander (1877 - 1946) was a lawyer and Cape parliamentarian. Alexander came from a German-J...
Alexander, Ruth	Ruth Alexander nee Schechter (1888 - 1942) was the daughter of a well-known Hebrew scholar, Solomon ...
Alexanders (The)	Refers to Ruth Alexander nee Schechter and
Angell, Norman	Norman Angell (1872 - 1967), formerly Ralph Norman Angell Lane, was a British peace campaigner and w...
Arnold, Matthew	Matthew Arnold (1822 - 1888) was an influential British poet, literary and social critic and inspect...
Asquith, Herbert Henry	Herbert Asquith (1852 - 1928) was British Prime Minister between 1908 and 1916. A Liberal, Asquith w...
Aveling, Edward	Edward Bibbens Aveling (1849 - 1898) was a socialist campaigner and the long-term lover of Karl Marx...
Avelings (The)	Refers to Eleanor Marx and