Alan Paton - Wikipedia Alan Paton From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Alan Paton Alan Paton Native name Alex Born (1903-01-11)11 January 1903[1] Pietermaritzburg, Natal Died 12 April 1988(1988-04-12) (aged 85) Durban, South Africa[2] Occupation author anti-apartheid activist Language English Notable works Cry, the Beloved Country; Too Late the Phalarope Spouses Dorrie Francis Lusted, 1928–1967 Anne Hopkins, 1969–1988[3] Children 2 Part of a series on Apartheid Events 1948 general election Coloured vote constitutional crisis 1956 Treason Trial Sharpeville massacre Rivonia Trial Soweto uprising Church Street, Pretoria bombing Trojan Horse Incident Khotso House bombing Cape Town peace march CODESA Assassination of Chris Hani Saint James Church massacre Shell House massacre Organisations ANC APLA IFP AWB BBB Black Sash CCB Conservative Party DP ECC FOSATU PP RP PFP HNP MK PAC UDF Broederbond National Party COSATU SACC SADF SAIC SAMA SAP SACP State Security Council People P. W. Botha Steve Biko Mangosuthu Buthelezi F. W. de Klerk Ruth First Bram Fischer Arthur Goldreich Chris Hani Bantu Holomisa Joel Joffe Ahmed Kathrada Albert Luthuli Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Mac Maharaj D. F. Malan Nelson Mandela Govan Mbeki Thabo Mbeki Raymond Mhlaba Benjamin Moloise Albertina Sisulu Walter Sisulu JG Strijdom Joe Slovo Robert Sobukwe Helen Suzman Adelaide Tambo Oliver Tambo Eugène Terre'Blanche Desmond Tutu H. F. Verwoerd B. J. Vorster Jacob Zuma Places Bantustan District Six Robben Island Sophiatown South-West Africa Soweto Sun City Vlakplaas Related topics Afrikaner nationalism Apartheid in popular culture Apartheid legislation Cape Qualified Franchise Freedom Charter Sullivan Principles Kairos Document Disinvestment campaign Project Coast Internal resistance to apartheid Music in the movement against apartheid Category v t e Alan Stewart Paton (11 January 1903 – 12 April 1988) was a South African author and anti-apartheid activist. His works include the novels Cry, the Beloved Country and Too Late the Phalarope. Contents 1 Family 2 Early career 3 Later career 4 Opposition to apartheid 5 Other works 6 Selected works 7 Awards and honours 8 See also 9 Notes 10 Further reading 11 External links Family[edit] Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg in the Colony of Natal (now South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province), the son of a civil servant.[4] After attending Maritzburg College, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Natal[4] in his hometown, followed by a diploma in education. After graduation, Paton worked as a teacher, first at the Ixopo High School, and subsequently at Maritzburg College[4] While at Ixopo he met Dorrie Francis Lusted.[4] They were married in 1928 and remained together until her death from emphysema in 1967.[4] Their life together is documented in Paton's book Kontakion for You Departed, published in 1969. They had two sons, Jonathan and David. In 1969, Paton married Anne Hopkins. This marriage lasted until Paton's death.[5] Early career[edit] He served as the principal of Diepkloof Reformatory for young (native African) offenders from 1935 to 1949, where he introduced controversial "progressive" reforms,[4] including policies on open dormitories, work permits, and home visitation. The men were initially housed in closed dormitories; once they had proven themselves trustworthy, they would be transferred to open dormitories within the compound. Men who showed great trustworthiness would be permitted to work outside the compound. In some cases, men were even permitted to reside outside the compound under the supervision of a care family. Fewer than 5% of the 10,000 men who were given home leave during Paton's years at Diepkloof ever broke their trust by failing to return. Later career[edit] Paton volunteered for service during World War II, but was refused. After the war he took a trip, at his own expense, to tour correctional facilities across the world. He toured Scandinavia, England, continental Europe, Canada, and the United States. During his time in Norway, he began work on his seminal novel Cry, The Beloved Country, which he completed over the course of his journey, finishing it on Christmas Eve in San Francisco in 1946.[4] There, he met Aubrey and Marigold Burns, who read his manuscript and found a publisher: the editor Maxwell Perkins, noted for editing novels of Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe, guided Paton's first novel through publication with Scribner's. Paton published numerous books in the 1950s and became wealthy from their sales. On 11 January 2018, a Google Doodle honored the author on what would have been his 115th birthday.[6] Opposition to apartheid[edit] In 1948, four months after the publication of Cry, The Beloved Country, the right-wing National Party was elected in South Africa. Paton, together with Margaret Ballinger, Edgar Brookes, and Leo Marquard, formed the Liberal Association in early-1953. On 9 May 1953, it became the Liberal Party of South Africa, with Paton as a founding co-vice-president,[7] which fought against the apartheid laws introduced by the National Party government. He served as President of the LPSA until its forced dissolution by the government in the late-1960s; officially because its membership comprised both Blacks and Whites. Paton was a friend of Bernard Friedman, founder of the Progressive Party.[8] Paton's writer colleague Laurens van der Post, who had moved to England in the 1930s, helped the party in many ways. Van der Post knew that the South African Secret Police were aware that he was paying money to Paton, but could not stop it by legal procedures. Paton himself adopted a peaceful opposition in protests against apartheid, as did many others in the party; some SALP members took a more violent route, and consequently some stigma did attach to the party. Paton's passport was confiscated upon his return from New York in 1960, where he had been presented with the annual Freedom Award.[5] It was not returned to him for ten years. Paton retired to Botha's Hill, where he resided until his death. He is honoured at the Hall of Freedom of the Liberal International organisation.[9] Other works[edit] Cry, The Beloved Country has been filmed twice (in 1951 and 1995) and was the basis for the Broadway musical Lost in the Stars (adaptation by Maxwell Anderson, music by Kurt Weill). Paton's second and third novels, Too Late the Phalarope (1953) and Ah, but Your Land is Beautiful (1981), and his short stories, Tales From a Troubled Land (1961), all deal with the same racial themes that concerned the author in his first novel.[5] Ah, but Your Land is Beautiful was built on parallel life stories, letters, speeches, news and records in legal proceedings, and mixed fictional and real-life characters, such as Donald Molteno, Albert Luthuli and Hendrik Verwoerd. The novel is categorised as historical fiction, as it gives an accurate account of the resistance movement in South Africa during the 1960s. "Paton attempts to imbue his characters with a humanity not expected of them. In this novel, for example, we meet the supposedly obdurate Afrikaner who contravenes the infamous Immorality Act. There are other Afrikaners, too, who are led by their consciences and not by rules, and regulations promulgated by a faceless, monolithic parliament."[10] Paton was a prolific essay writer on race and politics in South Africa. In Save the Beloved Country he plays on the famous title of his first novel, but keeps a serious tone in discussing many of the famous personalities and issues on different sides of South Africa's apartheid struggle. His Anglican faith was another factor in his life and work: the title of one work is Instrument of Thy Peace. Paton also wrote two autobiographies: Towards the Mountain deals with Paton's life leading up to and including the publication of Cry, the Beloved Country (an event that changed the course of his life) while Journey Continued takes its departure from that time onwards. He also wrote biographies of his friends Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr (Hofmeyr), and Geoffrey Clayton (Apartheid and the Archbishop). Another literary form that interested him throughout his life was poetry; the biographer Peter Alexander includes many of these poems[clarification needed] in his biography of Paton.[5] Publications of Paton's work include a volume of his travel writing, The Lost City of the Kalahari (2006), and a complete selection of his shorter writings, The Hero of Currie Road. The Alan Paton Award for non-fiction is conferred annually in his honour. Selected works[edit] Cry, The Beloved Country, 1948 – made into a film in 1951, directed by Zoltan Korda with a screenplay by Paton himself; in 1995, directed by Darrell Roodt; also a musical and an opera Lost in the Stars 1950 – a musical based on the above work (book and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson, music by Kurt Weill) Too Late the Phalarope, 1953 The Land and People of South Africa, 1955 South Africa in Transition, 1956 Debbie Go Home, 1960 Tales from a Troubled Land, 1961 Hofmeyr, 1964 South African Tragedy, 1965 Sponono, 1965 (with Krishna Shah) The Long View, 1967 Instrument of Thy Peace, 1968 Kontakion For You Departed, 1969 (also: For You Departed) D. C. S. Oosthuizen Memorial Lecture, 1970 Case History of a Pinky, 1972 Apartheid and the Archbishop: the Life and Times of Geoffrey Clayton, Archbishop of Cape Town, 1973 Knocking on the Door, 1975 Towards the Mountain, 1980 Ah, but Your Land is Beautiful, 1981 Journey Continued: An Autobiography, 1988 Save the Beloved Country, 1989 The Hero of Currie Road: the complete short pieces, 2008[11] Awards and honours[edit] In 20 April 2006 he was posthumously awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold "Exceptional contribution to literature, exposing the apartheid oppression through his work and fighting for a just and democratic society."[12] See also[edit] Liberalism Contributions to liberal theory List of African writers List of South Africans – In 2004 Paton was voted 59th in the SABC3's Great South Africans Notes[edit] ^ Paton, Alan (1988). Journey Continued: An Autobiography. Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 9780192192370. ^ "Alan Stewart Paton". South African History Online. Retrieved 14 June 2015. ^ Paton, Alan (1988). Journey Continued: An Autobiography. Oxford University Press. p. 151. ISBN 9780192192370. ^ a b c d e f g Liukkonen, Petri. "Alan Paton". Books and Writers. Finland: Kuusankoski Public Library. Archived from the original on 21 January 2008. ^ a b c d Herbert Mitgang (13 April 1988). "Alan Paton, Author Who Fought Against Apartheid, Is Dead at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2012. ^ Avakian, Talia (10 January 2018)."Google Doodle Celebrates South African Author and Anti-Apartheid Activist Alan Paton", Time. Retrieved 11 January 2018. ^ "Formation of the Liberal Party of South Africa". Alan Paton Centre and Struggle Archive. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Retrieved 1 January 2018. ^ "A mixture of ice and fulfilled desire – Mail & Guardian Online: The smart news source". Mg.co.za. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 13 May 2010. ^ Alan Stewart Paton, South Africa (1903–1988) Archived 26 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Liberal International website ^ from Post-Colonial African Writers, ed. by Pushipa Naidu Parekh and Siga Fatima Jagne, 1998 ^ "Umuzi – The Hero of Currie Road – Detail Page". Umuzi-randomhouse.co.za. 27 May 2008. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2010. ^ "South Africa honours 27 outstanding citizens". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 24 August 2020. Further reading[edit] Holland, Roy (2008). Alan Paton Speaking. Clashnessie, SCO, UK: Diadem Books. ISBN 978-0-9559741-4-4. 116 pp. Paton, Anne (1992), Some Sort of a Job: My Life with Alan Paton, ZA: Penguin, ISBN 978-0-67083969-8. External links[edit] Wikiquote has quotations related to: Alan Paton The Alan Paton Centre & Struggle Archives Alan Paton — A short biography and bibliography A mixture of ice and fulfilled desire, Mail & Guardian, 14 November 2005 v t e Alan Paton Novels Cry, the Beloved Country (1947) Too Late the Phalarope (1953) Kontakion For You Departed (1969) Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful (1981) Autobiography Journey Continued: An Autobiography (1988) Adaptations Cry, the Beloved Country (1951 film, screenwriter) Lost in the Stars (1953 musical) Cry, the Beloved Country (1995 film) Related Liberal Party of South Africa Alan Paton Award v t e Liberalism in South Africa Apartheid-era political parties and groups Liberal Party of South Africa Progressive Party Democratic Party Progressive Federal Party Reform Party Progressive Reform Party Independent Party Black Sash Post-Apartheid political parties and groups Democratic Alliance South African Institute of Race Relations Helen Suzman Foundation Centre for Development and Enterprise People before and during the apartheid era Alan Paton Colin Eglin Harry Schwarz Helen Suzman Zach de Beer Denis Worrall Wynand Malan Frederik van Zyl Slabbert Donald Barkly Molteno Jan Steytler Margaret Ballinger Post-apartheid people Tony Leon Helen Zille Gwen Ngwenya John Steenhuisen Authority control BIBSYS: 90131782 BNE: XX1062445 BNF: cb11918769w (data) CANTIC: a10135376 CiNii: DA04238842 GND: 118592009 ISNI: 0000 0001 2142 9912 LCCN: n79058640 LNB: 000044976 MBA: 59e288b8-e947-41f3-a4d2-94c7f3c6c84d NDL: 00452263 NKC: xx0005775 NLA: 35533909 NLG: 87988 NLI: 000202479 NLK: KAC199621170 NLP: A22367858 NTA: 06869766X PLWABN: 9810627496205606 SELIBR: 219880 SNAC: w66d6255 SUDOC: 027422208 Trove: 987530 ULAN: 500342109 VcBA: 495/35300 VIAF: 89302855 WorldCat Identities: lccn-n79058640 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alan_Paton&oldid=996740126" Categories: 1903 births 1988 deaths Anglican anti-apartheid activists People from Pietermaritzburg University of Natal alumni South African Anglicans South African male novelists Anglican writers Alumni of Maritzburg College White South African people White South African anti-apartheid activists Liberal Party of South Africa politicians South African autobiographers South African people of British descent Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga 20th-century South African novelists 20th-century historians 20th-century South African male writers 20th-century Anglicans Hidden categories: Webarchive template wayback links EngvarB from August 2014 Use dmy dates from December 2016 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2016 Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with LNB identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with NDL identifiers Wikipedia articles with NKC identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLG identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLI identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLK identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLP identifiers Wikipedia articles with NTA identifiers Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers Wikipedia articles with ULAN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VcBA identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers AC with 26 elements Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikiquote Languages Afrikaans العربية تۆرکجه Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français ગુજરાતી Hrvatski Italiano עברית Kabɩyɛ Kiswahili مصرى Nederlands 日本語 Norsk bokmål Polski Română Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Татарча/tatarça Edit links This page was last edited on 28 December 2020, at 10:36 (UTC). 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