Cry, the Beloved Country | Cry, the Beloved Country

At a glance:

Author: Alan Paton
First Published: 1948
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Social realism
Time of Work: Mid-twentieth century
Setting: South Africa
Principal Characters: The Reverend Stephen Kumalo, Gertrude, Absalom, Msimangu, Mr. Jarvis
Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
Subjects: Prisoners, Blacks, Colonialism, Murder or homicide, Twentieth century, Prostitution or prostitutes, Capital punishment, Ministry or ministers, Ethnic relations, South Africa or South Africans, Clergy, Apartheid
Locales: Johannesburg, South Africa

The letter brought fear to the hearts of the Reverend Stephen Kumalo and his wife. To a Zulu, letters were rare and frightening. Once opened, they could never be closed again, their contents forgotten. Kumalo waited until he could control his fear before he opened the letter from Johannesburg telling him that his sister was sick and needed his help. The trip would be costly for a poor Zulu clergyman, but he had to go. Perhaps there he could also find their son Absalom, who had never been heard from since he had left the village. Stephen and his wife knew in their...

Cry, the Beloved Country | Cry, the Beloved Country

At a glance:

The Story:

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