Cry, the Beloved Country

Alan Paton was a South African novelist and anti-apartheid activist. He was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in 1903. He was a teacher and worked for a reformatory in his early life, before becoming a writer. Paton published Cry, the Beloved Country in 1948, the same year that the National Party legalized apartheid in South Africa. Along with other anti-apartheid activists, he established the Liberal Party of South Africa, which fought against apartheid and the oppression of Black South African citizens. The Liberal Party of South Africa looked to influence white politicians into accepting and realizing the humanity of Black South African citizens, in the hopes that they would join the cause. Paton was the co-president of the Liberal Party of South Africa until the South African government disbanded it in the 1960s because the party consisted of both Black and white individuals—and because the government accused them of Communism. As a Christian, he integrated his faith in his activism against discrimination of people of color in South Africa. He advocated for peaceful protests, and his other novels deal with similar themes of apartheid, racism, and oppression. Cry, the Beloved Country is Paton’s most famous novel and has been adapted into film, play, and musical format since its publication.