Synopses & Reviews
Using a broad range of literature to examine the political culture of white South Africa, Peck finds both a preoccupation with political issues and a dislike for politics. The literature examined ranges from South African propaganda, through a variety of bestsellers—adventure stories and mystery novels written by authors such as Wilbur Smith and James McClure—to self-conscious literary works of the canonical white South African authors such as Alan Paton, André Brink, and Nadine Gordimer. The study gives attention to anti-political features of the liberal tradition that dominated South African writing, and to the failure of writers who undermined that tradition to generate a more positive view of politics. The morbid fascination with politics that is found across the full spectrum of creative writing is a reflection of the circumstances in which writers found themselves, but it is still a worrisome feature of the white South African political culture.
Review
...a useful collection of studies on a range of South African authors and playwrights and will be an essential inclusion on courses dealing with contemporary South African literature.International Journal of African History Studies
Review
A Morbid Fascination is extensively researched, the style accessible and the contents clearly presented. It raises interesting questions for scholars of literature and South African affairs generally from an unusual interdisciplinary position....It is a welcome contribution to the study of South African literature, specifically white writing, drawn from an historical period which should not be allowed to fade from view.Southern African Review of Books
Review
Peck introduces a refreshing perspective.African Studies Review
Synopsis
Using a broad range of literature to examine the political culture of white South Africa, Peck finds both a preoccupation with political issues and a general distrust of politics.
About the Author
RICHARD PECK is Professor of International Affairs at Lewis and Clark College.
Table of Contents
Preface
The Morbid Fascination with Politics in South African Prose
Beware the Gaboon Adder: Wilbur Smith's Purple Prose and Propaganda
The Mystery of McClure's Trekkersburg Mysteries: Text and Non-Reception in South Africa
More Mysteries Against Apartheid: Bosman, Ebersohn, and Drummond
Progressively Anti-Political: Recent Anti-Apartheid Best-Sellers
The Liberal Tradition in South African Writing: Alan Paton and Laurens van der Post
Undermining the Liberal Tradition: Dan Jacobson, Phyllis Altman, and Mary Benson
Condemned to Choose, But What? Existentialism in South African Writing in English
Nadine Gordimer's Morbid Fascination with Politics
The Play of Politics in South African Theater
Conclusion
Selected Bibliography
Index