Ah But Your Land Is Beautiful

Alan Paton's powerful novel is set in the 1950s, time of the Passive Resistance campaign, the Sophiatown removals, the emergence of the South African Liberal Party and the early stages of the Nationalist government in power. In a series of vivid and compelling episodes Paton examines what happens between people when such political events overtake their lives.

One cannot read this book without the total absorption that comes from the recognition of the truth

As vigorous and as exquisitely written as anything he has produced

Vivid and telling... Alan Paton may have come closer to conveying the essence of South African history than anyone else

Alan Paton was born on January 11, 1903 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Paton became a science teacher in 1925, the start of a varied career, which ran parallel to his writing.  He died in 1988.

Ah, But Your Land is Beautiful is set in the 1950s, the time of the Passive Resistance campaign, the Sophiatown removals, the emergence of the South African Liberal Party and the early stages of the Nationalist government in power. Revolving around the everyday experiences of a group of men and women whose lives reflect the human costs of maintaining a racially divided society, in a series of vivid and compelling episodes, Alan Paton examines what happens between people when such political events overtake their lives.

Alan Paton

A beautiful novel, rich, firm and moving-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 treated.

The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa and one of the best novels of our time

Cry 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. Remarkable for its contemporaneity, 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

Praise for Cry, The Beloved Country

A beautiful novel, rich, firm and moving-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 ...

The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa and one of the best novels of our time

Books by Alan Paton

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter