Cold Stone Jug, Herman Charles Bosman

Herman Charles Bosman (1905–1951) is one of South Africa’s most well-known writers. He was born in Kuils River, Cape Town and later settled in Johannesburg. In 1926, during the school holidays in Johannesburg, he shot and killed his step-brother during an argument. He was subsequently sentenced to death, which was later reduced to ten years with hard labour. He was let out on parole in 1936. In this semi-autobiographical book, Bosman recounts his stay in prison.

After serving his sentence, Bosman started a printing press in Johannesburg, and embarked on his writing career. He became especially noted as a great writer of short stories. He wrote prolifically and some of his most famous works include Mafeking Road, Jacaranda in the Night, Makapan’s Cave and other Stories, Seed Time and Harvest and other Stories.

Cold Stone Jug was first published in 1949. This edition is a digitised version of the first edition, by Red Owl Books.