Alan Paton: A Biography - Hardcover

Alexander, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198112378 ISBN 13: 9780198112372

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1994

Synopsis

Alan Paton is best remembered as the author of Cry, the Beloved Country, the most lyrical and moving plea for racial reconciliation to have come out of South Africa this century. His reputation, however, extends far beyond the fields of fiction and literature, for in addition Paton was a teacher, prison reformer, and politician whose achievements have ensured him a lasting place in the troubled history of his country. This is a rich and fascinating story, told against the backdrop of profound political changes in a country that still struggles to achieve the harmony Paton strove for; Paton's own greatness can now be seen for the first time to arise from moral struggles no less profound.

About this title

Review:

an excellent biography of an interesting and important man (Financial Times )

This thorough and widely researched biography is the most authoritative work yet on Paton. (Donald Woods, Sunday Times )

For admirers of Paton, it is an affirmation of his brilliance; while for the uninitiated, it is a loving portrait of a remarkable man, an extraordinary time and a strange and tormented land. (Samantha Weinberg, The Times )

About the Author:

About the Author Peter F. Alexander, born and raised in South Africa, first met Alan Paton while working on his doctoral thesis at Cambridge University. They began a friendship that lasted for fifteen years until Paton's death in 1988. Professor Alexander has written biographies of Roy Campbell and William Plomer and is currently Associate Professor of English at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He is married and has two children.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0198112378
• ISBN 13: 9780198112372
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 528