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42nd out of 68 books
—
16 voters
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
by
Rian Malan
Since its original publication twenty years ago Rian Malan’s classic work of narrative nonfiction My Traitor’s Heart has earned its author comparisons to masters of literary nonfiction like Michael Herr and Ryszard Kapuscinski.
The Lion Sleeps Tonight is Malan’s remarkable chronicle of South Africa’s halting steps and missteps, taken as blacks and whites try to build a new...more
The Lion Sleeps Tonight is Malan’s remarkable chronicle of South Africa’s halting steps and missteps, taken as blacks and whites try to build a new...more
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
November 6th 2012
by Grove Press
(first published September 1st 2011)
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Feb 18, 2013
Holly Morrow
added it
Rian Malan is super salty. Hes kind of like a South African Christopher Hitchens, except more likeable and less snobby. His earlier book, My Traitor’s Heart, is apparently a classic about South Africa in the transition out of apartheid. This book is a collection of essays he has written in the years since then, some published some not, about various topics (grouped under “politics,” “culture,” “disease,” etc). Malan started out as a liberal white who cheered the end of apartheid, and while he do...more
Oct 29, 2012
PAPER/PLATES
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in contemporary South Africa
When I traveled to South Africa in 2009, I listened to a lot of music. The 30-hour trek was set to a score from artists ranging from Explosions in the Sky to Girl Talk. Shockingly, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” didn’t make it onto my iPod for that trip.
Skip straight to the recipe inspired by this book.
To me, that song was a pivotal element in Simba’s growing up scene in The Lion King. It was a cheesy old thing whose origins I didn’t know and didn’t care to know. It was likely a white man’s song abou...more
Skip straight to the recipe inspired by this book.
To me, that song was a pivotal element in Simba’s growing up scene in The Lion King. It was a cheesy old thing whose origins I didn’t know and didn’t care to know. It was likely a white man’s song abou...more
Author, Rian Malan has certainly earned his reputation as an international acclaimed author. I enjoyed this book. He brings South Africa close to your heart and mind through his personal experiences of associations and investigative journalism. In fact, Malan exemplifies what good journalist used to be....journalist; not great sensationalist as we have today throughout the mainstream media global network.
Great read in my opinion and I recommend this book.
Great read in my opinion and I recommend this book.
A great read. It is a composition of past articles he wrote for various magazines and newspapers, so each story is usually fairly short, but each one was captivating. It really chronicles how sad things are for people in South Africa from a variety of different angles. I could not put the book down until I finished each individual story.
I live with an Afrikanner. This book is from an Afrikanner's perspective on Africa but without the rhetoric. Well worth the read.
The author offers his perspective on the difficulties South Africa faced transitioning from the apartheid era to a political climate dominated by the ANC. His stories may challenge some of your assumptions, but in the end this seems to be a guy who loves South Africa.
I love Malan's writing, and his cynicism gives me hope for the world. We cannot accept that there is one truth, and Rian makes this abundantly clear in his writing.
Malan has a great writing style. Enjoyed the stories and felt like I learned a lot. It's nice to hear a voice different from the approved narrative.
May 13, 2013
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Rian Malan is a South African author, journalist, documentarist and songwriter of Afrikaner descent. He first rose to prominence as the author of the memoir My Traitor's Heart, which, like the bulk of his work, deals with South African society in a historical and contemporary perspective and focuses on racial relations. As a journalist, he has written for major newspapers in South Africa, Great Br...more
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