Cry, the Beloved Country
Alan Paton
Alan Paton 1903-1988
Notable Facts:
- Born in the Natal Province of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in 1903
- Went to college in Pietermaritzburg
- Studied Physics but spent many hours devoted to poetry
- Wrote essays for liberal South African magazines similar to his own character Arthur Jarvis, during his middle years
- Initially pursued a career in educating the rich, yet had a revelation after an enteric fever
- Received a job at Diepkloof Reformatory due to his admiration for Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr
- Transformed Diepkloof Reformatory, and remained there for ten years
- Feeling he needed a changed, Paton sold his life insurance and embarked on a journey around the world
- First began writing Cry, the Beloved Country after meeting a stranger in Norway
- Continued writing it as he traveled ( he never had it completely planned out!)
- Eventually published Cry, the Beloved Country in 1948, by Charles Scribner's Sons, in San Francisco
- This novel eventually became the highlight of Paton's career and one of South Africa's most important novels
- Paton passed away in 1988, in South Africa
Information Gathered by: Simon & Schuster
