Sir Henry Rider Haggard
1856 – 1925
Haggard was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and was a pioneer of the lost world literary genre.
In 1875, Haggard’s father sent him to what is now South Africa to assume a position with the Lieutenant-Governor’s office. Haggard was heavily influenced by the larger-than-life adventurers he met during his years in colonial Africa. After returning to England in 1882, Haggard published a book on the political situation in South Africa, as well as a handful of unsuccessful novels.
The influence of his African experiences eventually led to the creation of the Allan Quatermain adventures, a time when great mineral wealth was being discovered in Africa, along with the ruins of ancient lost civilisations of the continent such as Great Zimbabwe.
His novels are situated at the lighter end of Victorian literature, including the eighteen Allan Quatermain stories (beginning with King Solomon’s Mines) which continue to be popular and influential.
His novels portray many of the stereotypes associated with colonialism but with an unusual degree of empathy in the way he depicted the indigenous populations. Africans often played heroic roles in his novels, even when the protagonists were typically European.
King Solomon’s Mines
Adventure / Historical Fiction
An English hunter leads an expedition deep into unexplored Africa to find both legendary diamond mines and a missing man
Allan Quartermain
Adventure / Lost Race Fiction
The sequel to King Solomon’s Mines sees Quatermain return to Africa seeking a mysterious civilization deep inland
Allan’s Wife
Adventure / Romance Fiction
Allan Quatermain experiences love, marriage, and loss in early South Africa
Maiwa’s Revenge
Adventure Fiction
Allan Quatermain aids an African woman’s quest to avenge her slain child
Marie
Adventure / Romance Fiction
Allan Quatermain’s formative love and trials unfold amidst early 19th-century South Africa. (Part of the Zikali novel trilogy).
Child of Storm
Historical Adventure
Allan Quatermain becomes entangled in Zulu royal strife ignited by a captivating woman. (Part of the Zikali novel trilogy).
The Holy Flower
Adventure Fiction
A quest to find a rare orchid leads Quatermain and companions into unexpected dangers
The Ivory Child
Adventure / Supernatural Fiction
Quatermain must confront an elephant that is embodying an evil spirit and threatening a tribe
Finished
Historical Adventure
The concluding volume of the Zikali trilogy (along with Marie and Child of Storm) ends with sweeping conflict and tragic consequences
The Ancient Allan
Adventure / Fantasy
A drug-induced vision transports Quatermain and companions into ancient civilizations and past lives
She and Allan
Adventure / Fantasy
Allan Quatermain meets the immortal Ayesha (“She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed”), merging two of Haggard’s iconic characters
Heu-Heu
Adventure / Horror-Inflected Fiction
A monstrous gorilla-like creature and its cult terrorize a remote tribe in Rhodesia
The Treasure of the Lake
Adventure / Lost World Fiction
Quatermain discovers a village ruled by an enigmatic man with strange power, amid mystical lakes and tribal conflict
Allan and the Ice-Gods
Fantasy / Prehistoric Adventure
A taduki-induced trance reveals Quatermain’s ancestral memories in an Ice Age saga of evolution and survival