Cry, the Beloved Country, the most famous and important novel in South Africa’s history, was an immediate worldwide bestseller in 1948. Alan Paton’s impassioned novel about a black man’s country under white man’s law is a work of searing beauty. Cry, the Beloved Country is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven by racial injustice. Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man.
Editorial Reviews
"The greatest novel to ermge out of the tragedy of South Africa, and one of the best novels of our time." --The New Republic
"A beautiful novel, rich, firm and moving...its writing is so fresh, its projection of character so immediate and full, its events so compelling, and its understanding so compassionate that to read the book is to share intimately, even to the point of catharsis, in the grave human experience treated." --The New York Times
About the Author
Alan Paton was one of South Africa's greatest writers. His other works include Too Late the Phalarope; Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful; and a collection of short stories, Tales from a Troubled Land. He died in South Africa in 1992.
