As a moderate believer in Afrikaner nationalism, Marais' literary output was heavily influenced by, "the pure poetry," he learned through his friendships with local San people, Nama people, Khoi people, and from Herero refugees from the recent uprising and subsequent genocide in German Southwest Africa. Marais also collected a very large store of African folklore in the Waterberg District from an elderly San storyteller locally nicknamed "Ou Hendrick" and published his stories in Afrikaans under the title "Dwaalstories" ("Wandering Stories").