 First edition (damaged copy) | |
| Author | H. Rider Haggard |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Zulu people |
| Genre | Historical, adventure, fantasy |
| Publisher | Longmans, Green and Co. |
Publication date | 1892 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Pages | 295 |
| Preceded by | Wisdom's Daughter (internal chronology) Allan's Wife (publication order) |
| Followed by | Marie (internal chronology) Black Heart and White Heart (publication order) |
Nada the Lily is an historical novel by English writer H. Rider Haggard, published in 1892. Inspired by Haggard's time in South Africa (1875–82). It was illustrated by Charles H. M. Kerr.
The novel tells the tale of the origin and early life of the hero Umslopogaas, the unacknowledged son of the great Zulu king and general Chaka, and his love for "the most beautiful of Zulu women", Nada the Lily. Chaka was a real king of the Zulus but Umslopogaas was invented by Haggard. He first appeared as an elderly but vigorous warrior in Allan Quatermain (1887). He also appears in the novel She and Allan (1921).
Nada the Lily is unusual for a Victorian novel in that its entire cast of characters is South African and black. Nada the Lily features magic and ghosts as part of its plot.[1]
There is some anecdotal evidence[citation needed] that Umslopogaas might have been based on an actual person, although not as described in the book. He would have been a Swazi not a Zulu.[citation needed]
- ^ Bleiler, Everett F. (1990). The Guide to Supernatural Fiction. Kent State: Kent State University Press. p. 726. ISBN 978-0-87338-288-5.