Alan paton’s “ Cry, The Beloved Country” was first published in 1948, & today still stands as arguably the single most important novel in twentieth century South African literature.“ Cry, the Beloved Country” is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo & his son Absalom, set against the background of a land & a people riven by racial injustice. Remarkable for its immediacy, unforgettable for character & incident, “ Cry, the Beloved Country” is a classic work of love & hope, courage & endurance, born of the dignity of man. Paton was a strong vocal opponent of apartheid over a half a century before it came to a crashing end; in 1953 Paton founded the South African Liberal Party, which fought against the apartheid legislation introduced by the National Party. He died in 1988, just six years before apartheid would finally be over.