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A New Book By Fritz Pointer -This is a literary biography of one of South Africa's most extraordinary and eminent men of letters, Justin Alexander La Guma, better known as Alex La Guma. It is concerned with the writing life of one of the twentieth century's most prolific, eloquent, and courageous authors. Although some attention is given to La Guma's years as a journalist, the heart of the work is concerned with his novelette, A Walk in the Night, and his novels, And a Threefold Cord, The Stone Country, In the Fog of the Seasons'End, and Time of the Butcherbird. This book is also an interpretation, analysis and critique of the ideology informing the themes, images and techniques of La Guma. As such, it deals with the world view of the "Colored," or Mixed-Race community he belonged to, was proud of and attempted to portray in his work. The implicit question undergirding this work is: What is the relevance of African Nationalism or Pan-Africanism to those who have embraced "Coloredness" as a valid and viable status in the race based political ideologies of South Africa? Finally, this book is about a man whose work helped to expose APARTHEID: and extol the noble struggle of those who opposed one of the most hateful racist systems the world has ever known. It is about a man who turned personal, as well as collective, abuse and pain into art; who risked his life and suffered exile from his homeland to create works of enduring value. |