Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of January 11th.
_______________________________________________________________________________
It is the 11th day of the year, leaving 354 days remaining in 2022.
His seminal novel, Cry, The Beloved Country, was a searing account of the injustices and inhumanity of the burgeoning system of government then being installed by the white minority in South Africa.
The novel, described as poignant and lyrical, is filled with literary and linguistical allusions. It portrays the anguish an elderly black minister suffers as he comes to terms with his faith when his son is convicted of killing a white man. It offers a message of hope when the dead man's father comes to recognize the effect that white dominance has on the Black community and forgives his son's killer.
The novel gained Paton fame, and he went on to found what became the Liberal Party of South Africa. At first, the party offered a non-racial alternative to apartheid, but later developed into outright opposition to the ruling regime. While serving as the party's vice president, Paton continued to write, including short stories, biographies, and the novels Too Late the Phalarope and Ahh, But Your Land Is Beautiful.
Paton -- along with the blacklisted John Howard Lawson -- wrote the screenplay for Cry, The Beloved Country's film adaptation in 1951. The movie starred Sidney Poitier. A second movie was released in 1995, featuring James Earl Jones.
Paton died in 1988 at his home in Botha's Hill, South Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment