I saw Cry, the Beloved Country in the library and picked it up. It was one of those "I've heard of the title, but don't know anything about it" selections. I thought it was famous for something, but wasn't sure what.The book is set in South Africa in the middle of the 20th century; after WW2, but before apartheid became official government policy. It tells the story of a rural black Anglican priest, Stephen Kumalo, and his journey to the "great city" of Johannesburg. He travels there in search of his younger sister and his adult son. Both of them moved to the city from their small village, and little had been heard of them since.
The book contains a look at life in South Africa. However, it also contains themes that have been common amongst all peoples undergoing industrialization. What happens when one way of life (the traditional South African village) is damaged, and what does the city and modern society offer as a replacement? Thinking about it, one of my favourite novels is No Great Mischief, where one of the themes is the collapse of the extended family in modern society. The same themes are examined here. Either this is fertile ground for a novelist to write a great novel, or perhaps it's just a theme I enjoy seeing explored.
One site has Cry as the #101 English-language novel of the 20th century. I say it's better than that. 5 stars.
2 comments:
I had to read this in high school. I didn't hate it, but didn't particularly like it either.
Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't being forced to read it.
I'll look out for this.
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