Sanders of the River

What It's About

A linked collection of adventure stories set in a fictional territory of colonial Africa, along a great river. Commissioner Sanders, known to the people he governs as "Sandi", administers the district with only a small force of Hausa soldiers under Captain Hamilton. He relies on nerve, local knowledge and rough justice to deal with tribal feuds, superstition, uprisings and unscrupulous traders. The most memorable recurring figure is Bosambo, the shrewd chief of the Ochori, a former Liberian convict who becomes Sanders's most useful and least predictable ally.

Key Concepts

The stories are a classic example of Edwardian imperial adventure fiction. They are built around the idea of a lone white administrator who keeps order through authority, prestige and paternal firmness. Sanders is drawn as stern but fair, and even fond of the people he governs. The book has to be read as a product of its era. Its portrayal of African characters is paternalistic and stereotyped, and its language and assumptions about race and empire are now widely criticised. The 1935 film adaptation was later disowned by its star, Paul Robeson, who felt it had been reshaped into imperialist propaganda.

About the Author

Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British journalist, novelist and playwright. Born in Greenwich, London, the illegitimate son of an actress, he was adopted by a Billingsgate fish porter and left school at twelve. After army service he became a war correspondent in South Africa. He went on to become one of the most popular and prolific writers of his day, and he died in Hollywood, where he had gone to work as a screenwriter.