Some of you are doing the US States reading challenge with me this year, but I know several of you are reading around the world with a different book from a different country each week. I was amazed to find out that many authors and books from this country were censored by the government and either prevented from publication or banned from shelves in the country. Given that tomorrow is Nelson Mandela Day, I’d like to share some great literature and authors from South Africa – have you read any of these?
Trevor Noah
When most people hear Noah’s name, they immediately think of his work in late night TV or stand up comedy, but my favorite piece of his work is the memoir Born a Crime. What would your life be like if you knew you never fit in anywhere and every community that made up who you are would rather disown you than accept you in. Never black enough, never white enough, never poor or rich enough. Noah’s story is truly amazing and was one of my favorite books read last year.
Alan Paton
When I was looking for South African authors, this name popped up repeatedly. Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country was released in 1948 and was touted as a look at “the black man’s country under white man’s laws” – the true heart of the struggle South Africa faced for decades. In some ways, this was a novel well before it’s time when you consider that many other countries, America included, were still segregated well into the 60’s.
Nadine Gordimer
Gordimer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991 and was a very vocal anti-apartheid activist. Her works include numerous award-winning novels, short stories, a play, articles, and more. She was an adviser to Nelson Mandela and faced government oppression and punishment for her activism. If you’re looking to dig into her works, start with The Conservationist but also check out The Pickup released the same year as her Nobel Prize.
André Brink
Brink’s novel A Dry White Season was developed into a 1898 movie by the same name starring Marlon Brandon, Donald Sutherland, and more big Hollywood names. The novel follows a white lawyer’s investigation into a black man’s death in police custody. The writing evoked such passion in the movie stars that many worked for bottom dollar so the film could be created on just a $9M budget. It was not well received and I wonder if both the novel and movie were re-released in today’s America if they would see a more enthusiastic response.
Breyten Breytenbach
I had not heard of this author before starting my research, but this is high on my list to read now! His memoir The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist follows his 7 years behind bars in South Africa, convicted of high treason. While imprisoned, the government also tried him for outlandish claims of plotting a Soviet attack on the country among other things – he was only found guilty of smuggling letters out of the prison. Breytenbach is considered the Poet Lauriat of Afrikaans. Beyond this memoir, his poems are considered a bit odd, but a tribute to the culture.
Nelson Mandela
I couldn’t make this post without including the man who inspired it. While Mandela has been a controversial figure both in South Africa because of his politics and elsewhere because of his personal actions (conflict in his marriage, etc), his work to end apartheid undeniably shaped the country as it sits today. His autobiography Long Walk to Freedom recounts his life from childhood through his presidency. There are parallels here to other prominent figured we’ve read about lately – he was a foster child to the chief of his clan similar to what we saw with the chiefs in Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen.
The best way to honor Mandela’s work against apartheid today is to stay informed about the bias and hatred that caused the division. Open your mind to other cultures by reading about them and understand your own bias and how it impacts your interactions with others.
This post contains affiliate links.
Discover more from Read With Lindsey
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
