Pagine1923–2014 · Springs, South Africa · also known as Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer spent half a century writing about apartheid South Africa — and several of her books were banned there. The Conservationist won the Booker Prize in 1974; Burger’s Daughter (1979), about the daughter of an anti-apartheid activist, and July’s People (1981) are her best known. She joined the ANC when it was still illegal, helped edit Nelson Mandela’s speech for his 1964 trial, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991.
Begin with July’s People.
Part of our African Literature reading list — print it, email it to yourself or share it.
Olaudah Equiano · Sol Plaatje · Chinua Achebe · Wole Soyinka · Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o · Naguib Mahfouz · Mariama Bâ · J. M. Coetzee · Bessie Head · Tsitsi Dangarembga · Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Nadine Gordimer spent half a century writing about apartheid South Africa — and several of her books were banned there. The Conservationist won the Booker Prize in 1974; Burger’s Daughter (1979), about the daughter of an anti-apartheid activist, and July’s People (1981) are her best known.
Burger’s Daughter is usually considered Nadine Gordimer’s best-known work, followed by July’s People, The Conservationist.
Most readers start with July’s People.
Both refer to the same writer.
Nadine Gordimer’s books are still under copyright, so they are not free to download, but many can be borrowed free from your public library or Open Library — we link to them below.