"Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton - Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Alan Paton

Alan Paton was a South African author, anti-apartheid activist, and founder of the Liberal Party of South Africa. He is best known for his novel "Cry, the Beloved Country," which addresses the social issues and racial injustices of apartheid-era South Africa. Here is a brief biography of Alan Paton:

Full Name: Alan Stewart Paton

Born: January 11, 1903, in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province, South Africa

Died: April 12, 1988, in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Key Events and Accomplishments:

Early Life and Education:
- Alan Paton was born into a conservative farming family. He attended Maritzburg College and later studied at the University of Natal.
Teaching Career:
- Paton worked as a teacher and later became the headmaster of the Diepkloof Reformatory for young black offenders in Johannesburg. This experience influenced his understanding of the social issues facing South Africa.
Literary Career:
- Paton began writing poetry and novels. His most famous work, "Cry, the Beloved Country," was published in 1948. The novel received international acclaim for its powerful portrayal of the impact of apartheid on South African society.
Activism and the Liberal Party:
- Paton was a vocal critic of apartheid and a proponent of nonviolent resistance. In 1953, he co-founded the Liberal Party of South Africa, which advocated for racial equality and social justice. The party was eventually banned by the apartheid government in 1968.
Imprisonment:
- Due to his anti-apartheid activities, Paton faced harassment and was briefly imprisoned in 1960. Despite this, he continued to speak out against racial injustice.
Later Works:
- Paton continued to write novels, plays, and essays. His other notable works include "Too Late the Phalarope" (1953) and "Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful" (1981).
Legacy:
- Alan Paton's contributions to literature and his activism against apartheid have left a lasting legacy. "Cry, the Beloved Country" is considered a classic of South African literature and continues to be studied and celebrated globally.
Later Life:
- Paton remained active in public life and continued to advocate for social justice until his death in 1988. He received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to literature and his efforts against apartheid.

Alan Paton's life and work reflect his commitment to social justice, human rights, and the struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa. His writings and activism played a significant role in raising awareness about the impact of apartheid and inspiring efforts for positive change.

Synopsis

Cry, the Beloved Country, was an immediate worldwide bestseller when it was published in 1948. Alan Paton's impassioned novel about a black man's country under white man's law is a work of searing beauty. Cry, the Beloved Country, is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven by racial injustice. Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man.

Historical Timeline

1980s:

1984: The government introduces the Tricameral Parliament, giving limited political rights to Coloureds (mixed race) and Indians.
1986: The United States and the United Kingdom impose economic sanctions on South Africa.
1989: F.W. de Klerk becomes the president of South Africa and begins to dismantle apartheid policies.

1990s:

1990: President F.W. de Klerk announces the end of apartheid and the unbanning of political organizations, including the ANC.
1991: Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years.
1993: Negotiations lead to an interim constitution, paving the way for democratic elections.
1994: South Africa holds its first democratic elections, and Nelson Mandela becomes the first black president.

The official dismantling of apartheid marked a significant turning point in South African history, leading to the establishment of a democratic, non-racial government. Nelson Mandela's presidency and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission played crucial roles in the process of national healing and reconciliation.

Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination that took place in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. Here is a timeline of key events related to apartheid:

1940s:

1948: The National Party comes to power in South Africa and implements apartheid policies, institutionalizing racial segregation.

1950s:

1950: The Population Registration Act classifies South African citizens by race.
1952: The African National Congress (ANC) launches the Defiance Campaign against unjust apartheid laws.
1953: The Bantu Education Act establishes a separate education system for black South Africans.
1958: The Extension of University Education Act limits black students' access to higher education.

1960s:

1960: The Sharpeville Massacre occurs, where police open fire on a peaceful anti-passbook protest, killing 69 people.
1961: South Africa becomes a republic, leaving the Commonwealth.
1963-1964: Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders are sentenced to life in prison during the Rivonia Trial.
1966: The Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act strips black South Africans of their citizenship.
1967: The Separate Amenities Act legalizes the segregation of public facilities.

1970s:

1976: The Soweto Uprising begins as students protest the use of Afrikaans in schools. Hundreds are killed.
1977: Steve Biko, a prominent anti-apartheid activist, dies in police custody.
1978: The government intensifies its crackdown on anti-apartheid activists.

1980s:

1984: The government introduces the Tricameral Parliament, giving limited political rights to Coloureds (mixed race) and Indians.
1986: The United States and the United Kingdom impose economic sanctions on South Africa.
1989: F.W. de Klerk becomes the president of South Africa and begins to dismantle apartheid policies.

1990s:

1990: President F.W. de Klerk announces the end of apartheid and the unbanning of political organizations, including the ANC.
1991: Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years.
1993: Negotiations lead to an interim constitution, paving the way for democratic elections.
1994: South Africa holds its first democratic elections, and Nelson Mandela becomes the first black president.

Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination that took place in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. Here is a timeline of key events related to apartheid:

1940s:

1948: The National Party comes to power in South Africa and implements apartheid policies, institutionalizing racial segregation.

1950s:

1950: The Population Registration Act classifies South African citizens by race.
1952: The African National Congress (ANC) launches the Defiance Campaign against unjust apartheid laws.
1953: The Bantu Education Act establishes a separate education system for black South Africans.
1958: The Extension of University Education Act limits black students' access to higher education.

1960s:

1960: The Sharpeville Massacre occurs, where police open fire on a peaceful anti-passbook protest, killing 69 people.
1961: South Africa becomes a republic, leaving the Commonwealth.
1963-1964: Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders are sentenced to life in prison during the Rivonia Trial.
1966: The Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act strips black South Africans of their citizenship.
1967: The Separate Amenities Act legalizes the segregation of public facilities.

1970s:

1976: The Soweto Uprising begins as students protest the use of Afrikaans in schools. Hundreds are killed.
1977: Steve Biko, a prominent anti-apartheid activist, dies in police custody.
1978: The government intensifies its crackdown on anti-apartheid activists.

1980s:

1984: The government introduces the Tricameral Parliament, giving limited political rights to Coloureds (mixed race) and Indians.
1986: The United States and the United Kingdom impose economic sanctions on South Africa.
1989: F.W. de Klerk becomes the president of South Africa and begins to dismantle apartheid policies.

1990s:

1990: President F.W. de Klerk announces the end of apartheid and the unbanning of political organizations, including the ANC.
1991: Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years.
1993: Negotiations lead to an interim constitution, paving the way for democratic elections.
1994: South Africa holds its first democratic elections, and Nelson Mandela becomes the first black president.

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Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais
Call Number: FICTION Marais
Apartheid has created a secure future for Robin, a ten-year-old white girl living with her parents in 1970s Johannesburg. In the same nation, but worlds apart, Beauty, a Xhosa woman in a rural village in the Bantu homeland of the Transkei, struggles to raise her children after her husband's death. Told through Beauty and Robin's alternating perspectives, the narratives interweave to create a rich and complex tapestry of the emotions and tensions at the heart of Apartheid South Africa. Hum If You Don't Know the Words is a beautifully rendered look at loss, racism, and the creation of family.
Welcome to Our Hillbrow by Phaswane. Mpe; Ghirmai Negash (Introduction by)
Call Number: FICTION MPE
Welcome to Our Hillbrow is an exhilarating and disturbingride through the chaotic and hyper-real zone of Hillbrow--microcosm of all that is contradictory, alluring, and painful in the postapartheid South African psyche. Everythingis there: the shattered dreams of youth, sexuality and its unpredictable costs, AIDS, xenophobia, suicide, the omnipotent violence that often cuts short the promise of young people's lives, and the Africanist understanding of the life continuum that does not end with death but flows on into an ancestral realm. Infused with the rhythms of the inner-city pulsebeat, this courageous novel is compelling in its honesty and its broad vision, which links Hillbrow, rural Tiragalong, and Oxford. It spills out the guts of Hillbrow--living with the same energy and intimate knowledge with which the Drum writers wrote Sophiatown into being.
Playing in the Light by Zoe Wicomb
Call Number: FICTION Wicomb
Caught in the narrow world of private interests and self-advancement, Marion eschews national politics until the Truth and Reconciliation Commission throws up information that brings into question not only her family's past but her identity and her rightful place in contemporary South African society. "Stylistically nuanced and psychologically astute" ( Kirkus ), Playing in the Light is as powerful in its depiction of Marion's personal journey as it is in its depiction of South Africa's bizarre, brutal history.
The White Lioness by Henning Mankell
Call Number: MYSTERY Mankell
Inspector Kurt Wallander returns this time to investigate a horrific crime in his Scandinavian homeland somehow linked to a troubled apartheid-era South Africa. When the tenacious sleuth's search for the truth behind the execution-style killing of a Swedish housewife uncovers a plot to assassinate Nelson Mandela, Wallander finds himself in a tangle with the South African secret service and a ruthless ex-KGB agent.