I am a teacher, and after 34 years, I have made an attempt to discover new combinations within the catalogue of "must reads." This has been a staple activity for me over the years.

Last year, while deciding what I wanted to do, much like window shopping for lovely clothes, I made the decision to read this book after perusing Hamlet. I have a profound love for the mirrored plot structure. I absolutely adore the fact that the land itself is presented as a character. The moral imperative and the subsequent hesitation and uncertainty in Hamlet take on a distinct light and life within the exquisitely crafted quest into the valley of death by Stephen Kumalo. The gentle prodding of grace, of questions, of moral hues and tones transports me back to the wasteland scene in Hamlet.

After conversing with the captain on his way to certain death against the Polish, Hamlet finally experiences his epiphany. For Stephen, the wasteland may shift, but the same 20,000 + individuals on their way to death in a mine represents the same moral imperative. My students are gradually piecing together the plots, and the depth they are delving into (pun intended) is truly impressive. I am extremely pleased. They initially had difficulties with the flow of dialogue, but they also struggled with starting in medias res in Hamlet. Such is the way with 15 and 16-year-old students.

We are now going to move on to Eliot's Wasteland for a brief exploration through the 20th-century gardens and graves. Paton is truly a treasure - step into his shoes, or discover the connection with the land through the unshod feet and understand how two men and their families, their villages can grapple with ethical dilemmas and the imperative of humanity. It is incredibly powerful when all these elements are combined!

Of particular delight is the fact that one of my students noticed two significant items: the use of Gertrude in both works and also the concept of kairos! I was overjoyed. This is precisely what makes books come alive. When we share our thoughts and insights, we grow and expand our understanding.

There is no doubt that there are times when it seems as if there is no other god in the world.

The novel "Banal Country" by Alain Peyron is precisely about such times; about the times when it seems as if God is not watching over humanity from beyond the sky; or as if it no longer matters to him. The main problem of the novel is the moral encounter with the extreme situations in human life; the morality that is represented here in the form of a priest, which has decayed; it witnesses the upbringing of virtuous children, the breakdown of the family and its own components. And well, this breakdown also has an inevitable growth and spread around itself, so if this is not life, then what is it?

The novel has a straightforward and conventional structure, and basically, it is not intended to present something new or revolutionary, but rather it tries to depict the national situation in the form of a narrative that leads to poverty and illiteracy, perhaps in order to attract attention to it. In this regard, it is more or less similar to the novels of socialist realism, with the aim of bringing the black and white people to their senses and depicting a better Africa in front of their eyes.

One of the strengths of the novel is its Christianity, which of course is not excessive in the narrative, because basically the main character of the novel is an old and traditional priest who sees the world through his Christian eyes; and of course, the moments of doubt and hesitation that he experiences are among the outstanding moments of the novel.

One of the other weaknesses is the unrecognized and sometimes offensive translation that put itself in the eyes of the reader. As a reader, I could not understand whether the original text of this novel is literary and poetic, or whether Mrs. Simin Daneshvar has translated it more poetically and unrecognizably.

And finally, if we can overlook the shortcomings of the novel, it is a good and readable novel.

I truly desired to have a greater affection for this book than I actually did.

If I were to rate the book solely based on its message, it would毫无疑问 receive a 5-star rating. The message it conveys is profound and thought-provoking.

However, when I am honest about my personal reading experience and how eager I was to pick up the book and continue reading, I have to confess that I didn't have an overwhelming love for it.

In terms of the story itself, I cannot find any flaws. The plot is well-crafted, and all the themes related to heartbreak are expertly woven into the narrative. The end message is also inspiring and flawless.

So, what was the problem? Well, at times, the grammar was rather confusing. It wasn't always clear who was speaking or which characters were being referred to. As a result, I often had to re-read certain passages to make sense of what was happening, which unfortunately disrupted my immersion in the story.

I also felt a certain disconnect from all of the characters. I simply didn't care about any of them, which was not what I had anticipated from such an emotionally charged book. Maybe this was due to the sentence structure, or perhaps I'm just too cold-hearted, or maybe I've read so many other heartbreaking stories that this one failed to have the same impact on me.

I'm not entirely sure what didn't work for me. In retrospect, this is actually a much better book than I initially thought while reading it. For me, it's a complicated 3-4 stars.

What an extraordinary book indeed!

South Africa first came to my attention in the early 80s. At that time, as a young teen, my social consciousness was awakened by the MTV generation shouting "I won't play Sun City". When we take into account all that has occurred, from the gentle prose penned by Paton in the mid-1940s, through the glittering showboat of the 1980s rock star protests, to today's post-apartheid reality of continued violence and oppression in South Africa, reading this novel is both moving and chilling. How little and yet how much has changed!

This is a beautifully written story that reveals the multiple faces of life in South Africa. It shows the conflict without imposing judgment, morality, or condescension. It demonstrates the author's deep love for his country, his sorrow as a witness to its destruction, and not a little hope for its future.

My only regret is that it took me so long to discover this book. But perhaps I wasn't ready to appreciate it before now. I'm just grateful that it is now a permanent addition to our library! It will surely continue to touch the hearts and minds of many readers for years to come.

Beautiful.

Heartbreaking.

These two words sum up the essence of this story. It is truly a remarkable piece of work that Well Read Mom chose.

The beauty lies in the vivid descriptions and the engaging plot that draws the reader in from the very beginning. The author has a way with words that makes the story come alive, painting a picture in the reader's mind.

However, it is also heartbreaking. The story explores themes of loss, love, and sacrifice, and it doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of life. There are moments that will bring tears to your eyes and make you feel a deep sense of sadness.

Despite the heartbreak, I am really glad that Well Read Mom chose this one. It is a story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it. It makes you think about life, love, and what truly matters. It is a reminder that even in the midst of pain and suffering, there is still beauty to be found.

Overall, this is a must-read for anyone who loves a good story. It is a beautiful and heartbreaking journey that you won't soon forget.

The opening lines of Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country are a true testament to the beauty and lyricism of his diction.

He describes a lovely road that leads from Ixopo into the hills. These grass-covered and rolling hills are so lovely that they are beyond the singing of it. The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke, and from there, on a clear day, one can look down on one of the fairest valleys of Africa.

Paton maintains this level of lyricism throughout the novel. His language is like a song that rolls and skips along the tongue, similar to the poetry of Dylan Thomas. The beautiful language enhances the poignancy and heartbreak of the narrative as the story unfolds.

The novel is set against the backdrop of a South Africa torn by racial tensions and the injustice of apartheid. An elderly Zulu pastor, Stephen Kumalo, travels to Johannesburg in search of his sister, Gertrude, and his son, Absalom. Unfamiliar with the big city, Kumalo is overwhelmed by its size and activity.

Fortunately, many people are kind enough to help him in his search. He rescues Gertrude from a life of prostitution and eventually finds Absalom in a jail cell, awaiting trial for murdering a white man.

Throughout the story, Paton offers insights into the impact of imperialism, including the exploitation of the indigenous population, their struggles, the desperation and poverty, the breakdown of the family unit, the loss of a cohesive belief system, and the corruption and betrayal of those in power.

He takes an even-handed approach to the challenges, castigating the system of segregation and economic exploitation while avoiding portraying the struggle as black against white. The corrupt and those who advocate for equality and racial justice can be found on both sides of the racial divide, as can acts of forgiveness, kindness, compassion, and generosity.

The characters are brought to life in a series of heart-wrenching scenes. Kumalo’s encounter with Absalom as he tries to understand his son’s actions is deeply moving. Absalom’s confused and halting replies show his fear and inability to fully comprehend what has happened.

The scene with James Jarvis, the victim’s father, reading his son’s final words is equally heart-wrenching. Ironically, his son was writing an eloquent statement in support of racial justice before his untimely death.

Perhaps the most poignant scenes are those between James Jarvis and Stephen Kumalo. Overcome with emotion, Kumalo struggles to find the right words to apologize for his son’s senseless act. The shared pain of the two fathers is depicted with great compassion and delicacy.

This is a beautiful story, told with compassion and understanding. It is highly recommended.

My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com

Finished reading another amazing classic!

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.

This was a truly remarkable and eye-opening book that will stay with me for a long time. Paton masterfully touches on almost every level of trouble in post-colonial South Africa. He explores racism, classism, elitism, and the lingering imperial feelings. The book also delves into how wealth corrupts natives, the arbitrary segregation, the loss of family values, social pride, and many other serious matters.

The book is lyrically written, which might pose a challenge for beginners. However, the characters seem almost realistic, and you experience a wide range of emotions while reading it.

Even though the story is told in a relatively simple manner, it will forever be etched in your mind. The message behind it is far greater than what meets the eye. It makes you think outside the box and opens your eyes to many things.

I had to stop reading several times to reflect. I would just sit there, stare at the wall, and think about people, life, God, and principles. There is so much to learn about hope, love, forgiveness, and perseverance from this book.

I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a profound and thought-provoking read.

Audiobook narrated by Frederick Davidson.

An old man, a Zulu pastor in a small impoverished South African town, has endured the heart-wrenching loss of three dear relatives to the big city. His brother, John, journeyed to Johannesburg and set up a business, but alas, he has ceased to write. His much younger sister, Gertrude, took her son to Johannesburg in search of her husband who had gone there earlier to find work. However, the husband never wrote, and Gertrude too has fallen silent. And finally, his son, Absalom, went to Johannesburg to look for his aunt, only to be swallowed up by the big city and stop writing as well. So, when he receives a letter from a priest in J-burg with news of Gertrude, Stephen Kumalo undertakes a journey to the city to find his family members and bring them home.

First published in 1948, Cry the Beloved Country has remained an international bestseller. It not only tells of a personal tragedy but also of a national one – apartheid. The writing is lyrical and vividly evokes the time and place. Stephen is a gentle hero, drawing his strength from faith, hope, and charity. His capacity for love and forgiveness is truly admirable. I was both surprised and touched by the compassion and forgiveness shown by Jarvis, the white farmer in the village.

Their personal tragedy is the focal point of the novel, yet it is framed by the larger issues plaguing South Africa – the loss of tribal culture, poverty, and the exodus to the already overcrowded city slums – as well as issues confronting all of humanity – justice, good governance, retribution, compassion, and forgiveness.

Frederick Davidson does a decent job of narrating, although I did find his pace to be extremely slow. At first, his sluggish delivery made it difficult for me to engage with the story. However, as the character of Stephen Kumalo is gradually revealed, I began to appreciate it more. Stephen is a man who takes his time to ponder and deliberate over issues, a man who never acts impulsively.

The author is a profound one;

he describes such moments, scenes, and situations that you think he has spent hours thinking about the hidden layers of that moment.

"Benal Watani" is of course far from us and the translation is also old;

this matter reduces our connection with the book and if the art of writing and the expression of the natural and heroic states of human beings did not exist, perhaps we would have separated from the book.

The story, in addition to being believable and full of details, also has an interesting look at the black and white historical discussions in the African continent and constantly rotates us between giving rights to the blacks and the whites, and of course it is obvious that in this back and forth, the scale will tilt heavily towards the black natives.

Weep, O beloved country, with the pen of Alan Paton.

The setting is South Africa, with problems such as the barren land, the disruption of the traditional rural society, and of course, the racial division. Is it South Africa? The main character is a clergyman who ponders, mourns, and strives to save what can be saved.

The novel tells of the priest who visits Johannesburg in search of his sister and son who have been swallowed up by the sinful city, and he enters a dangerous vortex. The author's style is concise, aiming for analysis rather than moralizing. The text also contains hypotheses about the causes of the increase in crimes among the indigenous people, and sheds light on the suffering of a people who have lost their traditional values and have not been offered an alternative, and have lost their dignity in the name of an uneducated modernization.

The devil of fear reigns over the souls in Johannesburg. The fear of injustice, of crime, of the collapse of the beloved country. And in contrast, there is the warmth of true patriotism, embodied in the black activists who organize strikes and protests, as well as in the whites who strive for reconciliation and the unity of the races. Above all, we see a description of the chaos of nature intertwined with the simplicity of the rural tranquility, which gives the mind purity after being involved in the crime-ridden city.

Many critics agree that this novel by Paton is the most important novel in South African literature. Perhaps! It is a mature, targeted, and courageously critical novel. Add to that its engaging narrative and well-drawn characters. For me, it is a novel that I appreciate but did not fall under its spell, as it lies between those that grip you with passion and those that confront you with respect.

Discovering A Classic Novel

Alan Paton's novel "Cry, the Beloved Country" (1948) had somehow eluded me throughout the years. Even when I was in school, Paton's novel was already a common fixture on high school reading lists, and I usually steered clear of such books. A quick look at some of the numerous reviews here on Amazon indicates that the book is still being force-fed to students, a situation that hampers appreciative reading. When our book group chose the novel, I was initially a reluctant reader. However, I soon came to realize that I had missed out on a great deal by not reading this book earlier.

Set in South Africa in 1948, Paton's novel delves into the complex race relations in that troubled country just before the formal establishment of apartheid. The main character is an elderly Zulu minister, Stephen Kumalo, who lives and ministers to his congregation in a poor farming community that has exhausted its soil due to poor farming practices on the hills. Stephen's brother John, his sister Gertrude, and his only son Absolom have all left the homestead in search of their fortunes in Johannesburg. When Stephen receives a message that his sister is in a desperate situation, he undertakes a long and expensive train journey to Johannesburg to find his family. Stephen locates each of the three, and the novel unfolds their stories. The book mainly revolves around Absolom, who has become a troubled and delinquent young man. Absolom is arrested and tried for the murder of a young white man, Arthur Jarvis. Arthur's father, James, is a wealthy landowner and a near-neighbor of Stephen Kumalo. During the trial of Stephen's son, the two men form a close bond. In his life, Arthur had closely studied South Africa's racial situation and had written and spoken passionately for change. With his son's death, the novel shows how James, who had previously been at best apathetic on the issue, comes to understand and share his son's convictions.

"Cry, the Beloved Country" is far more than just a polemic against racism in South Africa. In my belated reading of the book, I attempted to consider how the work transcended its time and place to become a compelling work of art. Here are some of my thoughts. The writing style of the book, with its lyricism, solemnity, repetition, and attention to detail, often resembles poetry more than fictional narrative. The tone of the book is predominantly sad and thoughtful rather than critical. Paton seems less inclined to assign blame to any particular party for the origin of racism in South Africa than he is to understand it. He explores how racism developed and examines the fears of all those involved in the system. The aim is not to condemn but to understand, forgive, and bring about change.

There are beautiful descriptions of South Africa in all its aspects, from the small native communes and compounds to the mines and the metropolis of Johannesburg. The book celebrates reading and the life of the mind, mainly through Arthur Jarvis, whose library and thoughts Paton explores in depth. Abraham Lincoln receives significant and dedicated attention in this book, highlighting the universal appeal of this great American president.

More than just a portrayal of an unjust social system or a depiction of a complex country, "Cry the Beloved Country" is a religious work. Few, if any, of the characters in this story are completely evil. Although Stephen Kumalo is shown as a person with flaws and a tendency to hurt others, he emerges as a committed Christian minister to his people. When he travels to Johannesburg, he meets several other ministers and church officials who, contrary to much literature, are portrayed selflessly and positively.

Several other characters, including a lawyer who defends Stephen's son pro bono ("pro deo"), and a native landlady, are shown as unselfish, well-meaning, and noble. The book tells its story of hope, forgiveness, and the correction of injustice without belittling.

On my reading, I found "Cry, the Beloved Country" to be in large part a religious novel of an unusual and profound spirit in the way it approaches its themes. I was drawn in by the goodness and sincerity of the characters. The book helps to show what religion, particularly Christianity, can be at its best in a troubled time. Forgiveness, rather than condemnation, is the overarching theme of the book. I was grateful for the opportunity to finally read Paton's novel.

Robin Friedman

This is a country of great beauty.

Rolling hills gently undulate, and towering mountains reach towards the sky. Veins of gold lie hidden deep beneath the earth, a precious treasure waiting to be discovered.

It is a country of many people.

White and black, and every shade in between, coexist within its borders. Their diverse cultures and backgrounds add to the rich tapestry of this nation.

It is also a country of many resources.

Talents and wisdom abound, and the good things that emerge from the fertile earth nourish its people.

However, this is also a country of great turmoil.

Whites clash with blacks, and the rich struggle against the poor. All yearn for more than what has been allotted to them, creating a climate of unrest and dissatisfaction.

It is a country of great sorrow.

Destitution, violence, and evil are rampant, causing tears to flow night and day. The pain and suffering endured by its people are palpable.

It is a country of great need.

Forced ignorance and poverty plague many, leading them to cry out for a better life. The hope for a brighter future seems elusive.

It is a country of great contrasts.

The boundary between the white and the black appears to be impregnable, dividing the nation and creating a sense of inequality and injustice.

This is a country groaning under the weight of a burden too heavy for its people to lift.

Unless they come together and work as one, they shall be crushed by the forces that seek to tear them apart.

This country, this beloved country, is South Africa.

Cry, The Beloved Country is a story that is both tragic and beautiful, heart-rending and inspiring.

It tells the tale of a black man and his son, fighting to survive in a land prejudiced against them.

It also follows a white man and his son, striving to find a better way than the one of enforced division among people.

It is a story of hopelessness and hopefulness, the two extremes intertwined in a bittersweet embrace.

This book made me think deeply about the complex and varied situations that South Africa faced during the apartheid era.

It is written in a simple yet poetic way, vivid and emotional, moving and poignant.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the apartheid or the history of South Africa. I give it 4* out of 5 and recommend it for ages 14+.