Picture of author.

Alan Paton (1903–1988)

Teoksen Itke, rakastettu maa tekijä

45+ Works 10,935 Jäsentä 195 arvostelua 16 Favorited

About the Author

Political activist Alan Steward Paton was born on January 11, 1903 in Natal, South Africa. He attended Maritzburg College and Natal University. He taught at Ixopo High School and Maritzburg College. In 1935, he was appointed principal of Diepkloof Reformatory for African Boys in Johannesburg and näytä lisää became interested in race relations. Although he intended to become a full-time writer after the publication of his first book, he instead became involved in politics. He was a member of the Liberal Party of South Africa, serving as vice-president, chairman, and president before the party was forced to disband in 1968 because of its anti-apartheid views. Paton is best known for his political activism and his first novel, Cry, the Beloved Country. He also wrote a second novel, Too Late the Phalarope, and two autobiographies, Toward the Mountains and Journey Continued. He died on April 12, 1988 in Lintrose, Botha's Hill, Natal. (Bowker Author Biography) näytä vähemmän

Tekijän teokset

Itke, rakastettu maa (1948) 9,200 kappaletta
Liian myöhään vesipääsky (1953) 660 kappaletta
Oi, miten kaunis maa (1981) 299 kappaletta
Instrument of Thy Peace (1967) 216 kappaletta
Tales from a Troubled Land (1961) 117 kappaletta
Debbie Go Home (1961) 71 kappaletta
Kontakion for You Departed (1969) 31 kappaletta

Associated Works

On the Firing Line: The Public Life of Our Public Figures (1989) — Avustaja — 110 kappaletta
The Treasury of English Short Stories (1985) — Avustaja — 81 kappaletta
Easter Stories: Classic Tales for the Holy Season (1656) — Avustaja — 76 kappaletta
The Penguin Book of Southern African Stories (1985) — Avustaja — 49 kappaletta
A Quarto of Modern Literature (1935) — Avustaja — 38 kappaletta
The Track to Bralgu (1978) — Esipuhe, eräät painokset27 kappaletta
Stories to Remember: Literary Heritage Series (1967) — Avustaja — 20 kappaletta
Cry, the Beloved Country [1995 film] (2003) — Original novel — 10 kappaletta

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

Beautiful. Also relevant. There are things about 1948 South Africa that ring true here, today. So much fear. This is a sad book, for sure, but also lovely.
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
nogomu | 174 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Oct 19, 2023 |
This is currently my favorite book, it got me into Paton's works as his writing style is very enjoyable. The plot is a bit heavy, but its an enjoyable read at a good pace; you won't get bored.
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
ubgle | 13 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Aug 6, 2023 |
I find it a shame that this book isn’t better known. I found it much more engaging than Cry, the Beloved Country– it even had me laughing at parts. And it’s not a happy or amusing story! It’s a tragic love story, but presented and unraveled in a way I did not at all expect. Set deep in South Africa’s time of apartheid, when interracial relationships were considered a crime- and that doesn’t just mean marriage or having children together. It meant no white person could ever be seen touching a black woman, or deep suspicion would be cast upon him. The story is centered on one family in particular: about a fine young man, admired in the community and working for the government no less. And how his family was always a bit troubled by his “softer” side- his father found his interest in stamp-collecting rather contemptible, for example. His mother worried over his sensitivity- though he could be just as stern as any when a situation required it. The problem arises when this young man becomes involved in the life of a black girl who struggles to get by. She can never seem to hold down a job so resorts to making and selling illegal liquor, and gets thrown into prison for it repeatedly, until the situation is so messed up that her child is taken away.. She did kind of hold her relationship with the main character as a threat over his head the whole time, to get help when she was in financial trouble. However the final key that made everything fall down, that ruined his entire family’s reputation, was something very subtle and unexpected, that she pulled out at the last minute proving that yes, indeed, they’d had an illicit tryst.

It is told so artfully, everything that’s of real importance to our character seems to happen hidden in the background, only slowly coming to light- probably because of course that’s how he had to keep things. It makes the reader wonder too for a while. I have to say, I found something a bit frustrating and annoying- it was difficult for me to keep straight who was who, and if they were friends or relatives, and what exactly that relationship. It’s told obliquely, from the viewpoint of the aunt. Who and how-related all the people are isn’t really pointed out to the reader- the narrative will just say something along the lines of so-and-so showed up and we did this and I’m puzzling over: is that her neighbor, her cousin or what? I admit it could just be my still-muddled head (I’ve been unwell lately) that I missed some introductions or cues . . .

While it is very different from both, this book reminded me a lot of Joyce Cary’s Mister Johnson, because of the writing style, the setting and the culture, the one native character that can’t seem to fathom what he is repeatedly doing to make ends meet is criminally wrong by the standards of the white people who have colonial rule. In a completely different way, it also made me think of One-Eyed Cat, because of how exquisitely it detailed the inner turmoil of someone who has a very troublesome or even dangerous secret, and is full of dread and suspicion about who might know, and misinterprets the comments and actions of those around him based on his guess of if they know or not- but he can never ask because if they don’t already know, it exposes everything!

Lastly I want to say (this is getting too long for sure) how much I enjoyed the scenes about stamp-collecting, because my husband has a huge stamp collection, so some of this was familiar to me, I read some of those parts out loud to him, he appreciated that too. And the phalarope? it’s a shorebird, that is sometimes but not often seen in a certain locale- the character and his father do a bit of bird-watching at one point, and often remark on it. There’s this whole thing about a huge gorgeously printed bird book this is however full of errors because it was made by an Englishman who apparently didn’t know the local birdlife too well at all. It’s the father’s thing, birdwatching, and it had a whole other symbolic layer in the narrative as well. Which I’m not quite sure I pick up on all of that, but this novel is definitely staying on my shelf for future re-reads. It's that good.
… (lisätietoja)
1 ääni
Merkitty asiattomaksi
jeane | 13 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Jul 1, 2023 |
This book attempts to spotlight a core thought of Martin Luther King Jr's theology: redemptive suffering. In an age when there is real self consciousness about most traditional theological themes, the authors, in the main non-theologians, explore suffering in its broadest meaning and find it a creative, human force that can change society and can bring hope.
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
PendleHillLibrary | Jun 9, 2023 |

Listat

1940s (1)

Palkinnot

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

R.H. Durham Abridgement
G.F. Wear Abridgement
Finn Aasen Translator
Edward Callan Introduction
Lewis Gannett Introduction
John Hillelson Photographer
Todd Leonardo Cover photo
B. Majorick Translator
Mary Ann Smith Cover designer
Aida Törnell Translator

Tilastot

Teokset
45
Also by
16
Jäseniä
10,935
Suosituimmuussija
#2,163
Arvio (tähdet)
4.0
Kirja-arvosteluja
195
ISBN:t
199
Kielet
11
Kuinka monen suosikki
16
Keskustelun kohteita
504

Taulukot ja kaaviot