Synopses & Reviews
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature For years, it had been what is called a deteriorating situation.” Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales familyliberal whitesare rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to the Smaleses and to Julythe shifts in character and relationshipsgives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.
Review
"The time is the not very distant future, and the place is South Africa. The long-anticipated black rebellion has begun, and the cities are falling to the insurgents, who are aided by Russia and Cuba. Bam and Maureen Smales, whites, flee into the hinterland with their manservant, July, and find refuge in his village. Their young children play with the village urchins without so much as batting an eye, but Bam and Maureen have enormous difficulty adjusting to the total collapse of their world. This splendid vision of an all-too-likely future is the most disturbing novel out of South Africa since the heyday of Alan Paton." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Review
“So flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly, ominously possible.”—Anne Tyler,
The New York Times Book Review “Gordimer knows this complex emotional and political territory all too well and writes about it superbly.”—Newsweek
“Gordimers art has achieved and sustained a rare beauty. Her prose has a density and sparsity that one finds in the greatest writers.”—The New Leader
“Nadine Gordimer writes more knowingly about South Africa than anyone else.”—The New York Times
Synopsis
A startling, imaginative novel from the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature For years, it had been what is called a "deteriorating situation." Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales family--liberal whites--are rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to the Smaleses and to July--the shifts in character and relationships--gives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.
"So flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly, ominously possible."--Anne Tyler, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
A startling, imaginative novel from the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature A violent war for equality has come to the white suburbs, driving out the ruling minority
For years, it had been what is called a "deteriorating situation." Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales family--liberal whites--are rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to the Smaleses and to July--the shifts in character and relationships--gives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.
"So flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly, ominously possible."--Anne Tyler, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
"So flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly, ominously possible."
--Anne Tyler, The New York Times Book Review A startling, imaginative novel from the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
A violent war for equality has come to the white suburbs, driving out the ruling minority
For years, it had been what is called a "deteriorating situation." Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales family--liberal whites--are rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to the Smaleses and to July--the shifts in character and relationships--gives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.
About the Author
Nadine Gordimer is the author of eleven previous novels, as well as collections of stories and essays. She has received many awards, including the Booker Prize (for The Conservationist in 1974) and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991. She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.