A Soldier's Embrace

by Nadine Gordimer

Notation in ink on the verso of the title page.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Africa, South Africa, Literature, Nobel Prize, 20th Century

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Nadine Gordimer was a South African writer, political activist, and recipient of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature. She was recognized as a woman "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity".

Gordimer's writing dealt with moral and racial issues, particularly apartheid in South Africa. Under that regime, works such as Burger's Daughter and July's People were banned. She was active in the anti-apartheid movement, joining the African National Congress during the days when the organization was banned. She was also active in HIV/AIDS causes.

Reviews

[Ron Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This intense short story is about the end of Apartheid in S.Afrca. Written in 3rd person so it was difficult to closely relate to the protagonist. Gordimer's writing style flows without added, unnecessary words. Her work is smooth prose with interactions described like pictures. Gordimer won the Nobel Prize in 1991 at age 68.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

1980
Most of these stories did not speak to me. A few did.
There's no theme unifying the stories in this collection, they are all over the place. [though most I think are set in South Africa]

'Oral History' is a brave attempt to adopt the POV of a chief of a very small village near 'the border' [probably with Mozambique?] at a time when the South African army was trying to stop the importing of weapons from Mozambique by bombing any village they thought was harboring any men who didn't belong there [who might be bringing in weapons from outside, to fight against the [white] army/regime in S Africa]. The story is well told, and the ending is chilling in the extreme.

'Contents:
A soldier's embrace -- A lion on the freeway -- Siblings -- Time did -- A hunting accident -- For dear life -- Town and country lovers one -- (Two) -- A mad one -- You name it -- The termitary -- The need for something sweet -- Oral history.'

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book to read because it was relatively short (144 pages) and it was short stories. I found Gordimer's writing style difficult to follow. After finishing the first three stories in the book, and starting the fourth, I made the decision to not continue reading.

The first story, "A Soldier's Embrace" was interesting; it told of the loss of status and property by a white couple in South Africa when a black government comes to power. The second story, "A Lion on the Freeway", was more in the line of poetry; it was difficult to follow, and I'm still not sure what it was about. The third story, "Siblings", was told from the point of view of a young man and is about his cousin and childhood companion, who is rebelling against their family. Is she mentally ill, or just confrontational? It's difficult to tell, and this is part of the confusion.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several of these stories haunt me!

[Matthew? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of the finest group of short stories I've ever read. Gordimer writes poetry in the form of prose. Every word, every page, a portrait. This wasn't a book, it was a gallery walk.

[Eugenio Yunis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Algunos de los cuentos están muy bien, pero en general, no están a la altura de obras anteriores de Nadine Gordimer.

[Penelope Ausejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me han gustado muchísimo. Algunos cuentos más que otros, claro. Recomendable.

[Andy Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming collection of short stories, elegantly controlled writing.

[Michael Vagnetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a finger directly tapping the sternum, these fictions palpate human relationships in a way that makes much other writing appear to avoid them. The subjects often straddle positions that are stricken with apartheid, and the fiction is expression of a grounded dissidence against compromised positions.

The prose is often in long paragraphs. These gather force but remain surprising, interrogative, exclamatory, never shrill. The writing respires with a gravitas that reclaims the dignity of wise speech, thought, and feeling.

[E.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of stories. Gordimer takes the reader to the soil, the earth, every time without breaking her steadfast gaze on the human heart.

[Fred Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories by Nadine Gordimer from the time of apartheid. Many are gems.