The Leselinyana Letters and early reception of Mofolo's Chaka

Abstract

Mofolo's main work is widely known in South Africa, on the African continent, and abroad. Many scholarly studies, based on both the original and the translations, have appeared over the past half-century. Not generally known is the fact that the first literary criticism on the work came from Basotho readers themselves. Their responses were published well before the work came to international attention. The Reception Approach appears to be a useful instrument in mapping out the readers' penetrating observations.