Cry, the Beloved Country

A book (later adapted into a movie) by Alan Paton (pronounced pay-ton I believe). Set in South Africa durring the reign of the Apartheid. A very touching novel that gives insight into what it was like in South Africa at the time. From the back cover of my copy:

"An immediate worldwide bestseller when it was published 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, unforgetable 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."

I once met Alan Paton briefly in the early 1960s. He was speaking about the actuality of having to carry identification cards. He made his hand into a gun when he spoke of the police forces in South Africa of the time. He shook at the legs and arms while he stood.

I spoke to him after his speech for a bit. I heard his accent and looked into his eyes. When I read the book "Cry, The Beloved Country Again" again a few days later, I heard the cadence of his speech.

I hadn't thought of him in many years until I read ioctl's node. Thank you.