THIS week we lost one of South Africa’s and the world’s great writers, with the death of Nadine Gordimer.
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Many of her books reflected and criticised the apartheid system imposed by the South African government during 1948-1994, some books being banned from publication there.
This unjust system persisted against both internal resistance such as Gordimer’s, political pressures from leaders including our own Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke, and the international sports boycotts, which probably cut deepest in a country just as sport-obsessed as Australia. On his accession as leader Nelson Mandela credited Gordimer and her writing for her raising of consciousness about the issue, and they became close friends.
Nadine Gordimer was a prolific writer - awarded the 1991 Nobel Prize for Literature - and many of her books may be found in our Shoalhaven libraries, for any readers not yet familiar with her work (she is also commemorated this week in the News & Events column of the Arts in Shoalhaven website arts.shoalhaven.net.au)
G. Bolton,
Sussex Inlet.