'A beautiful novel, rich, firm and s writing is so fresh, its projection of character so immediate and full, its events so compelling, and its understanding so compassionate that to read the book is to share intimately, even to the point of catharsis, in the grave human experience.' Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man.

Alan Paton’s impassioned novel about a black man’s country under white man’s law is a work of searing beauty.Ĭry, the Beloved Country, is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven by racial injustice. “A beautiful novel…its writing is so fresh, its projection of character so immediate and full, its events so compelling, and its understanding so compassionate that to read the book is to share intimately, even to the point of catharsis, in the grave human experience.” - The New York TimesĪn Oprah Book Club selection, Cry, the Beloved Country, was an immediate worldwide bestseller when it was published in 1948.

Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man.“The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa, and one of the best novels of our time.” - The New Republic

“The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa, and one of the best novels of our time.” - The New Republic

Cry the beloved country book cover