South African Literature: Biographies

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature Further reading

Alan Paton

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Alan Paton , 1903–88, South African novelist. A devoted leader in the struggle to end the oppression of the South African blacks, he served (1935–47) as principal of the Diepkloof Reformatory (near Johannesburg) for delinquent boys, where he instituted many reforms. After the publication of his first novel, Cry, the Beloved Country (1948), he became active in South African political affairs. He helped form the Liberal Association of South Africa, which later emerged as a political party. Paton's fiction, written with simplicity and compassion, reflects the deep conflicts that continue to exist in South Africa today. His second novel, Too Late the Phalarope, appeared in 1953, and Tales from a Troubled Land, a collection of short stories, in 1961. Among his other works are South Africa in Transition (1956); Hope for South Africa (1958); The Long View (1968), a volume of essays; and For You Departed (1969), a memoir and tribute to his wife. Maxwell Anderson's play Lost in the Stars (1948) was based on Cry, the Beloved Country.

Bibliography: See biography by P. F. Alexander (1995).

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Paton, Alan

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | | Copyright

Paton, Alan (1903–88), see Cry, the Beloved Country.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Paton, Alan." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Paton, Alan." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-PatonAlan.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Paton, Alan." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-PatonAlan.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Paton, Alan. Cry, the beloved country.(Brief article)(Audiobook review) Magazine article from: Kliatt; 11/1/2008
	Alan Paton's unpublished fiction (1922-1934): an initial appraisal/Alan Paton... Magazine article from: Literator: Journal of Literary Criticism, comparative linguistics and literary studies; 12/1/2007
	Alan Paton's tragic liberalism. (novelist) Magazine article from: American Scholar; 6/22/1997