Alan Paton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Paton
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Alan Paton
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| Born | 11 January 1903 Pietermaritzburg, Colony of Natal (in modern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) |
| Died | 12 April 1988 (aged 85) Botha's Hill, South Africa |
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| Language | English |
| Notable works | Cry, the Beloved Country; Too Late the Phalarope, The Waste Land |
| Spouse | Dorrie Francis Lusted, 1928–1967 Anne Hopkins, 1969 – his death |
| Children | 2 |
Alan Stewart Paton (born January 11, 1903 – died April 12, 1988) was a famous South African writer. He was also an activist who worked against apartheid, a system of unfair racial separation. His most well-known books include Cry, the Beloved Country (1948) and Too Late the Phalarope (1953). He also wrote a short story called The Waste Land.
Contents
Alan Paton's Early Life
Alan Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, a city in what was then called the Colony of Natal. Today, this area is known as KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. His father worked for the government, and his mother was a homemaker.
Education and First Jobs
After high school at Maritzburg College, Alan Paton went to the University of Natal. He earned a science degree and also got a special diploma to become a teacher. He started his career teaching at Ixopo High School, and later taught at Maritzburg College.
Family Life
While teaching at Ixopo, he met Dorrie Francis Lusted. They got married in 1928 and stayed together until Dorrie passed away in 1967. They had two sons, Jonathan and David. Alan Paton wrote a book called Kontakion for You Departed in 1969, which shares stories about their life together.
In 1969, Alan Paton married Anne Hopkins. They were married until he died in 1988. Alan Paton was a very religious person, and his strong Christian faith was a big reason why he fought so hard against apartheid.
Working with Young People
From 1935 to 1949, Alan Paton was the principal of Diepkloof Reformatory. This was a special school for young Black offenders. He brought in new, "progressive" ideas to help the young men.
New Ways to Help
Paton believed in giving the young men more freedom and trust.
- He changed the dorms from closed, locked rooms to open ones.
- Once the young men showed they could be trusted, they moved to these open dorms.
- Some trusted young men were even allowed to work outside the school grounds.
- In some cases, they could live with a caring family outside the school.
These new rules worked very well. Less than 5% of the 10,000 young men who were allowed to go home for visits during Paton's time ever failed to return.
Writing and Traveling
During World War II, Alan Paton wanted to join the British Commonwealth forces, but the South African government did not allow him. After the war, he decided to travel the world. He visited prisons and schools in many countries, including Norway, Britain, Canada, and the United States.
Writing Cry, the Beloved Country
While he was in Norway, he started writing his most important novel, Cry, the Beloved Country. He finished the book on Christmas Eve in 1946, while he was in San Francisco, USA. There, he met Aubrey and Marigold Burns, who helped him find a publisher. The famous editor Maxwell Perkins, who worked with writers like Ernest Hemingway, helped publish Paton's first novel.
Paton wrote many books in the 1950s, and they sold very well, making him a wealthy man. On January 11, 2018, Google Doodle celebrated what would have been his 115th birthday.
Fighting Against Apartheid
In 1948, just four months after Cry, the Beloved Country was published, the National Party came to power in South Africa. This party soon created laws to officially start apartheid. This was a system that separated people based on their race and treated Black South Africans unfairly. Black South Africans could not vote until 1994, so they could not stop these laws directly.
Forming the Liberal Party
Alan Paton, along with other activists like Margaret Ballinger and Edgar Brookes, formed the Liberal Association in 1953. On May 9, 1953, it became the Liberal Party of South Africa (LPSA). Paton was one of its first leaders. This party worked hard to fight against the apartheid laws. Sometimes, Alan and his wife Dorrie even had to hide from the police at a safe house owned by Colin Webb.
Paton was the President of the LPSA until the government forced the party to close in the late 1960s. The government said the party had to close because it included both Black and White members, which was against their rules.
Challenges and Recognition
Alan Paton believed in peaceful ways to oppose apartheid. In 1960, when he returned from New York City after receiving the annual Freedom Award, the South African government took away his passport. They did not give it back for ten years. This meant he could not travel to other countries to speak about apartheid.
Alan Paton lived in Botha's Hill until he passed away. He is honored in the Hall of Freedom by the Liberal International organization for his work.
More of Alan Paton's Works
Alan Paton continued to write about race and apartheid in his other novels. These include Too Late the Phalarope (1953) and Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful (1981). He also wrote a collection of short stories called Tales From a Troubled Land (1961).
Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful tells a story through letters, speeches, and legal records. It mixes made-up characters with real historical figures like Albert Luthuli. This book is a type of historical fiction, and it shows what the resistance movement in South Africa was like in the 1960s. Paton tried to show the human side of all his characters, even those who seemed difficult.
Paton also wrote many essays about race and politics in South Africa. In his book Save the Beloved Country, he discusses important people and issues from different sides of the apartheid struggle. His Anglican Christian faith was very important to his life and writing.
He wrote two books about his own life:
- Towards the Mountain covers his life up to the publication of Cry, the Beloved Country.
- Journey Continued tells about his life after that time.
He also wrote biographies (life stories) of his friends Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr and Geoffrey Hare Clayton. Alan Paton also wrote poetry throughout his life.
The Alan Paton Award is given every year to honor his work in non-fiction writing.
Books and Films Based on His Work
His most famous novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, has been made into films twice, once in 1951 and again in 1995. It was also turned into a Broadway musical called Lost in the Stars, with music by Kurt Weill.
Selected Books by Alan Paton
- Cry, The Beloved Country, 1948
- Lost in the Stars, 1950 (a musical based on Cry, The Beloved Country)
- 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 (a biography)
- South African Tragedy, 1965
- Sponono, 1965 (with Krishna Shah)
- The Long View, 1967
- Instrument of Thy Peace, 1968
- Kontakion For You Departed, 1969 (also known as 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 (a biography)
- Knocking on the Door, 1975
- Towards the Mountain, 1980 (autobiography)
- Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful, 1981
- Journey Continued: An Autobiography, 1988 (autobiography)
- Save the Beloved Country, 1989
- The Hero of Currie Road: the complete short pieces, 2008
Awards and Honors
- On April 20, 2006, Alan Paton was given the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold after his death. This award recognized his "Exceptional contribution to literature, exposing the apartheid oppression through his work and fighting for a just and democratic society."
See also
In Spanish: Alan Paton para niños
- 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
