Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country

by Harold Bloom (Introduction), Neil Heims

- Comprehensive reading and study guides for some of the world's most important literary masterpieces
- Concise critical excerpts provide a scholarly overview of each work
- "The Story Behind the Story" details the conditions under which the work was written
- Each book includes a biographical sketch of the author, a descriptive list of characters, an extensive summary and analysis, and an annotated bibliography

Genres: Fiction, Classics

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Harold Bloom was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was called "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking world." After publishing his first book in 1959, Bloom wrote more than 50 books, including over 40 books of literary criticism, several books discussing religion, and one novel. He edited hundreds of anthologies concerning numerous literary and philosophical figures for the Chelsea House publishing firm. Bloom's books have been translated into more than 40 languages. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995.
Bloom was a defender of the traditional Western canon at a time when literature departments were focusing on what he derided as the "school of resentment" (multiculturalists, feminists, Marxists, and others). He was educated at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and Cornell University.

Reviews

[Trina Council]

I rarely give five stars to any book, but this one deserves it. Deep, plaintive, and quietly emotional, this is a book that will have you in its grips without your realizing it.

[Katherine]

Story of a Zulu pastor's search for his lost son in the big city. Beautifully written, leaves memories of lyrical prose.

[Angela]

Beautifuly told tale of forgiveness and redemption in the middle of the south african apartheid movement. Rich characters and lyrical narrative. One of my favorite books.

[Mary]

The personal tragedies of two men are greatly overshadowed by the troubles of a nation. Great book!

[Rachel]

Deeply moving and beautifully written. Cry, the Beloved Country is a gripping story of love, loyalty, loss and, ultimately, hope. It explores the loss of culture and belonging, the painful consequences of urbanisation and the severing of people from the deep roots of their place of origin - but also the profoundly human desire to reach across cultural, racial and language barriers to understand one another.

Stephen Kumalo, umfundisi, is an extraordinarily nuanced character. His grief, fear, disappointment, love, faith and self-doubt are portrayed with such tenderness that he feels deeply human. Paton allows his characters their flaws without stripping them of their dignity. Even within a desperately sad story and a painful period of South African history, there is remarkable empathy and balance in the portrayal of people on different sides of a divided society.

I particularly loved the parallel journeys of Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis. Both experience devastating loss; both are forced to confront truths about their families, their country and themselves. The gradual, understated way in which they begin to reach across the divide between them is one of the most beautiful aspects of the novel. There are no easy answers or miraculous resolutions. However there is faith, reflection, and compassion. Both men, in different ways, find truth through God, loss and deep introspection.

And then there is Paton’s prose. It is simply beautiful. I found myself going back again and again to reread passages, particularly his descriptions of Natal and Ndotsheni. The beauty of the language seems to mirror the beauty of the land itself, making its neglect and suffering all the more poignant.
This is a sad story about a sad history, but it is not ultimately a story of despair. At its heart is the human desire to do good, to repair what has been damaged, and to reach towards another person despite everything that separates us. Above all, Cry, the Beloved Country is a story of hope and deep faith.

[Joel Savage]

The city which consumes as no one returns. Gertrude went to the city and never returned. Absalom Kumalo follows in search of Gertrude and learns that Gertrude has taken a new life. Absalom also marries. Cry the beloved Country is one of the best and interesting books warning everyone the dangers and temptations in any big city, especially Johannesburg.

[T]

The first 1/3 was clean, then I lost interest and stopped reading. It wasn't bad, I just had no interest in it.

[Ken]

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[Sandi]

Fabulous. I read the story of this father searching for his son over and over again. I read it aloud with my mother when I was in college. Such an outstanding book!