222 mm x 146 mm, 172 pages RRP: R145, ISBN 978-1-4152-0050-6 Publication date: 27 May 2008, Category: Fiction Description Both comprehensive and unique, The Hero of Currie Road takes its title from the last story in this, the first complete collection of the short fiction from the author of the most widely read South African novel of all time, Cry, the Beloved Country. A classic collection of twenty short stories, the core of the book is formed by Alan Paton’s famous first volume of short stories, Debbie Go Home (1961), published in the US as Tales from a Troubled Land. The rest of the stories are taken from other sources, one of which is Paton’s last volume, Knocking on the Door (1975), which contributes ten pieces to this publication. A brief introduction of the collection is followed by a lively interview of Alan Paton with himself. The stories demonstrate the dictum espoused by Paton, who was deeply involved in national politics of his day: ‘… you must put your story first, not your politics or religion or your anger … they inform the story and give it colour and warmth and fire. But they must never usurp the place of the prime motive, which is to tell a story.’ The notes at the end of the present collection are an invaluable source of information on various points concerning the respective pieces. From The Hero of Currie Road, page 9 Interview with Himself Ah, Mr Paton. Thank you for agreeing to let me interview You. Let me tell you, I have a high opinion of your work. Do you also? PATON: Some of it. When I read past work, I say to myself, that was good and that was not. I am glad to say that, in general, the better was published and the worse not. When did you last read Cry, the Beloved Country? PATON: Not since 1948, the year it was published. Why is that? PATON: I can’t quite answer you. To read on From the Reviews: These stories will help to confirm Paton’s reputation as a writer who never has to raise his voice in any effort to convince us of his creative power and sincerity. The exactness and restraint of the writing confer strength and authority on his attitude.” — The Times Literary Supplement Alan Paton’s short fiction remains a neglected area in South African literary studies. Apart form ephemeral reviews, only a handful of critical works have paid any attention to Paton’s stories, but there is much of interest and value in them, not only as literary works, but for what they reveal about Paton’s response to the historical era in which they were produced. — Andrew Foley in Current Writing (2005) ‘The Hero of Currie Road’ – already an anthology piece – is an outward-aiming satire, a delicate though firm teasing of the whole spectrum of political conservatism in South Africa, including arguably Alan Paton’s own. — John Gardener in The South African Outlook (May, 1976) Read David Medalie’s review in the Mail & Guardian. To buy this book www.exclusivebooks.com www.kalahari.net home   writers   books   contact   buy   rights all content © Umuzi, Random House Struik this website designed and maintained by Guanaco.co.za