The Miracle Worker – Eugène Marais

Eugène Nielen Marais was a South African lawyer an advocate, naturalist, journalist and editor, writer as well as accomplished and famous hypnotist.

He was a remarkable poet, a political rebel, proponent of Afrikaans, amateur astronomer, prospector, story teller, believed by some to be a "wonder doctor" he was a tragic sufferer of addiction and a homeless wanderer.

He is a legend, an intellectual genius and a national hero.

Much of his verse was disillusioned sensitive and compassionate poems of a rare clarity
and fluency. A central theme was the futility and meaninglessness of  human pain and suffering. Although Marais published only a collection poems (1925) he is regarded as one of the most important and acclaimed poets in Afrikaans.

A tragic life story

Marais was a long-term morphine addict and suffered from insomnia and feelings of isolation, he became progressively cynical morbid and desperate.

The passing of his very young wife was a terrific blow, days after the birth of his son whom he apparently now scorned and hated as the cause of his wife's demise. His son was brought up by his uncle, Eugene's eldest brother.

An endless mourning and sorrow shadowed the Afrikaans people after the Boer Wars and it was still yet a young language. His vision and unfathomed imagination, the pureness and musicality of mood was of a great lyrical poet. Only the one official book of poems was published although he also had written English poems and other Afrikaans one's too but printed them only in newspapers.

Born on 9 January 1871 in Pretoria, darkness and despair were characteristic of his longing and for the mercy escape and freedom of death the “diep rivier”, the deep river. His suicide at aged 65 makes one think of Vincent van Gogh but their life stories otherwise are very different. In the night of 29 March 1936 Eugène Marais took his own life.

Sometimes his writing and poems did tell of happiness and humour especially in early days there was an optimism and playful charm. As well an appreciation of the wonders and breathtaking beauty of nature.

Also, I think he didn't really mind his own company especially living in the beauty of nature for scientific studies and field work.

Paul Kruger and the Boer Wars

As a journalist he came in conflict with the state of the ZAR (Transvaal Republic) for harsh criticism of the government as the editor of "Land en Volk" (Country and Nation) newspaper in 1895 and President Kruger had him tried for treason. And not long was again in serious trouble but this time it was in Britain. His allegiance was then turned again to the Boers and President Kruger.

An idealist and a man of principles he was on the side of the Boers and just before the end of the war was smuggling explosives ammunition and medicines for the commandos down through East Africa. Contracting malaria in Southern East Africa during the war and near to the end, he was of poor health since with intermittent bouts of fever.

Academic studies

In 1897 Marais had left for London and in Europe and Britain studied medicine and law. He did not complete the studies as medical doctor but graduated as advocate in 1902. It is here he was introduced to opiates.

Overseas during the Boer Wars he worked in some newspapers too as journalist and editor but he was not trusted he was not very popular there either and similarly for severe criticism of the authorities.

Back in Pretoria in October 1902 Marais was admitted to the roll as advocate and also was given permission by the British to continue with his newspaper Land en Volk. After three years as successful advocate and influential newspaper owner Marais left his law practice and the work as journalist and editor and sold his newspaper.

Anthropology and primates

In his study of nature and research in biology Marais's method was the study of animals by careful and endless patient observation and recording of behaviour in the wild in their undisturbed natural habitat.

Marais observed a specific troop of chacma baboons at length and by living among them in the Waterberge (Mountains) from around 1907 and was publishing the work by 1926. This famous research is regarded as groundbreaking work and the seminal manuscript as pioneering research is still in print. His observations are still cited in evolutionary biology in academic journals he was the first to study the behaviour of primates in the wild.

In the Waterberge Marais also studied some snakes as the black mamba, spitting cobra and puff-adder.

Communal animals specifically termites

He believed a colony of termites was a single much more complex organism centred around a queen. The community evolved in such a way that the colony functions as a whole and individuals all work for the common good as disciplined and perfectly coordinated, each member knowing his exact tasks inherited as instinct.

Plagiarism

Regarded as undoubtedly of his best work in another terrible blow very valuable intellectual property was stolen, “The Soul of the White Ant" was blatantly plagiarised by Maurice Maeterlinck.

Marais had published his ideas on the termites in the Afrikaans press which featured as parts of a series of articles on termites under the title "Die Siel van die Mier" from 1925 to 1926. Maeterlinck's book, with almost identical content was published in 1926.

According to Marais "he clearly desired his readers to infer that he had arrived at certain of my theories (the result of ten years of hard labour in the veld) by his own unaided reason" and "the theft of intellectual property was not merely plagiarism. He had copied page after page verbally". An international legal case was attempted but could not be funded.

Maurice Maeterlinck had been a Nobel prize winner. He did not see a termite in his life and never put a foot on the soil of Africa.

Wandering years

In England Marais had learnt of opium and later became addicted to morphine. He had access to these drugs because of his medical background and (uncompleted) studies in Europe and was allowed to practice medicine as physician. There were very few trained and qualified medical doctors in the country then and not in rural areas.

Spending most of his time in his research in the veld and mountains he lived an isolated lonely life on a farm in the Waterberge in the north of Transvaal for some years, where he also wrote some of his best poetry.

The last years were spent roaming alone occupying himself with his studies and writing as well as treatment of illness and medical care among the people of remote farms. In chronic addiction he lived off others' hospitality and goodwill and his own legendary status.

On these farms falling in love a few times there was romantic relationships with girls aged around twenty. He always had to move on because the girls all were hopelessly too young and notably around the age his late wife at her death. And of course also he didn't have the means to support a family.

The great longing, the great yearning

To be part of humanity to love and be loved and not always alone, alien and outsider, Eugène Marais had a life of deep love for the Afrikaans and indigenous African people and devoted his life to Africa and study of nature. He was a man and an immense intellect firmly rooted in Africa's harsh unforgiving earth.