num_pages: 216
description: 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, Andre 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.
language: English
title: A Morbid Fascination: White Prose and Politics in Apartheid South Africa
titlecomplete: A Morbid Fascination: White Prose and Politics in Apartheid South Africa (Contributions to the Study of World Literature)
awards: awardedAt: 883641600000
name: Oregon Book Award
category: Nonfiction (Finalist)
publisher: Praeger