H. Rider Haggard (1856 – 1925) was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, mainly Africa. His stories, situated at the lighter end of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential.
In 1875 he was sent to what is now South Africa to take up an unpaid position as assistant to the secretary to Sir Henry Bulwer, Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony of Natal. After returning to England in 1882, he published a book on the political situation in South Africa and a few other unsuccessful novels before writing his masterpiece King Solomon’s Mines. A sequel, Allan Quatermain, soon followed, and then She and its sequel Ayesha—two remarkable adventure novels set in the context of the Scramble for Africa. She is generally considered to be one of the classics of imaginative literature, and with 83 million copies sold by 1965, it is one of the best-selling books of all time.
Haggard’s novels portray many of the stereotypes associated with colonialism, and are uncanny for the degree of sympathy with which the native populations are portrayed. Africans often play heroic roles in the novels, although the protagonists are typically, though not always, European. The heroic Zulu warrior Umslopogaas and Ignosi, the rightful king of Kukuanaland, in King Solomon’s Mines are examples. Three of Haggard’s novels were written in collaboration with his friend Andrew Lang. They shared an interest in the spiritual realm and paranormal phenomena.
Haggard also wrote about agricultural and social reforms which were inspired by his experiences in Africa, and also based on what he saw in Europe. Towards the end of his life he was a staunch opponent of Bolshevism, a position he shared with his friend Rudyard Kipling.