(1903-1988) poet
Alan Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa. His father was James Paton, a Scot who had migrated to South Africa in 1895, and his mother was a descendant of English immigrants. His parents were not highly educated, but they were staunchly religious, and Paton grew up reading the Bible. His strict father often beat his sons when they were young, and the trauma of Paton’s childhood deeply affected his views about authority and corporal punishment. His father’s influence is not altogether negative, however; he encouraged Paton to love books and nature. Paton was an avid reader of literature, such as the works of Charles Dickens, Walter Scott, and Rupert Brooke. He attended high school at the Maritzburg College from 1914 to 1918 and completed his college education at Natal University College in 1924. Paton worked as a teacher at the Ixopo High School for White Students, where he met his first wife. In 1935, Paton was appointed principal of the Diepkloof Reformatory for young offenders. This experience formed the basis of his political consciousness. Paton resigned from his job and, in 1953, formed the South African Liberal Party (disbanded in 1968).
Paton’s most famous novel is Cry, the Beloved Country, which was published in 1948. By the time of Paton’s death, the book had sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. It was also adapted into two films. Kumalo’s journey in the book reflects Paton’s concern with major themes that influenced his life, such as authority, racial discrimination, and religion. Paton’s empathetic portrayal of Ku-malo, a black Anglican priest, led many white South Africans to criticize his work for being too sentimental. At the peak of apartheid in South Africa, his disdain of racial discrimination and his idealized vision of eventual reconciliation of the two racial groups were deemed too revolutionary. Paton was a sort of liminal figure because he stood on the line that borders the two worlds of white and black South Africans. Most of the white Afrikaners rejected him for his sympathy for the black Africans, and some of the latter viewed his writing with suspicion, evidently shown in the mixed reactions to his portrayal of characters and interracial relationships in Cry, the Beloved Country. Paton’s next international success, Too Late the Phalarope (1953), further explores the themes of racial and political inflexibility.
Paton’s work against apartheid won him the annual Freedom Award in 1960. His other works include autobiographies and biographies of famous political figures such as Jan Hofmeyer, the cabinet minister. Paton’s main contribution to African literature lies in his balanced perspective and optimism, untainted by the bitterness that often accompanies other African writings.
Other Works by Alan Paton
Journey Continued: An Autobiography. New York: Scribner, 1988.
Save the Beloved Country. New York: Scribner, 1989. Towards the Mountains. New York: Scribner, 1980.
Works about Alan Paton
Alexander, Peter F. Alan Paton: A Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Chapman, Michael. South African Literatures. London: Longman, 1996.
