Save the Beloved Country ~ Alan Paton

Save the Beloved Country ~ Alan Paton

Large hard cover with dust jacket
NOTE: Very large untidy gift inscription in koki pen over front page
Looks like part of dust jacket colour came off on spine when sticker was removed.
Otherwise, good condition

Alan Patons Save the Beloved Country is a stirring collection of essays, reflections, and commentary written during the final decades of apartheid in South Africa. Known for his literary activism and moral clarity, Paton uses these short piecesoriginally published in newspapers and journalsto confront the political and social turmoil of his homeland. With unflinching honesty, he critiques Afrikaner nationalism, interrogates the failures of English-speaking liberals, and questions the effectiveness of disinvestment and protest. His voice is both personal and prophetic, asking whether South Africa is worth fighting for and how peace might be achieved without sacrificing justice.

The book offers vivid impressions of key political figures, including prime ministers Smuts, Verwoerd, Vorster, and Botha, as well as Black leaders like Luthuli, Sobukwe, Tutu, and Mandela. Patons writing is deeply rooted in his Christian ethics and liberal convictions, yet he does not shy away from expressing frustration with the urgency demanded by some forms of activism. Through these essays, he documents the emotional and intellectual toll of living in a country torn by racial division and political repression. Though many of the pieces are historically situated, their moral resonance and literary power remain timeless, offering readers a window into the conscience of a man who never stopped believing in the possibility of a just South Africa.