PETER ABRAHAMS

Peter Abrahams has had an astonishing impact on African literature, not only as a pioneer, but also as a writer who inspired so many talented writers from all over the continent and beyond to also try their hand at writing.    

Abrahams published Mine Boy in 1946, probably his most famous novel. Many pundits reckon that the work confirmed from a very early stage that Peters' was "a born writer" whose work would appeal very strongly to the mainstream reader. Yet Abrahams' had the most daunting of childhoods growing up in segregated South Africa.

He was born in Vrededorp (Gauteng) and his autobiography Tell Freedom chronicles the early part of his life movingly and brilliantly. He managed to leave South Africa when he was still a very young man, and whilst based overseas (England first) he began to write the novels he is famous for now.    

His early novels – and short stories - were based on South Africa. By the time he wrote The View from Coyaba he was being influenced strongly by other countries

and cultures', in this case Jamaica. The view from Coyaba chronicles four generations of a Jamaican family and their experiences with racism.

Settling in Jamaica, Abrahams edited the West Indian Economist, and was also proficient on air (radio). His works continue to be popular, and even seminal.     

It has been noted that Abrahams has inspired many African writers in particular over the decades, as can be gleaned from works containing interviews with assorted writers. Recently, Omoseyi Bolaji, a prolific African author himself, testified as to how he was inspired by Peter Abrahams when he was still "a kid":

“I count myself very lucky to have been introduced to Peter Abrahams' early novel, Mine Boy, when I was still a kid at school in west Africa. The simplicity of the work was haunting, complemented by the very fine writing skills of the author.

"It was only natural that as an impressionable youngster one would be prodded to try and get as many books of this particular author as possible - Tell Freedom, which was autobiographical, was easily available then, and another good read.

"In respect of Mine Boy, the story of the metamorphosis of Xuma, the pertinent mine boy, from "strong simpleton" to a thinking gentleman and possible catalyst of change during apartheid is an unforgettable one.

"One was forced to ponder dolefully: why couldn't all men be free and equal in this society? Why so many unfair crackdowns on the blacks by the powers that-be? Even Xuma's love affairs were frustrated and truncated by the state. His lovely 'Eliza was gone...' - what pain for poor Xuma!

"The impression one kept on getting from his works was that here was (Abrahams) a very decent man who just wanted to be treated as a human being and intermingle with others with facility…”

Works published by Peter Abrahams

Dark Testament (1942)

Song of the City (1945)

Mine Boy (1946)

The Path of Thunder (1948)

Wild Conquest (1950)

Return to Goli (1953)

Tell Freedom (1954)

A Wreath for Udomo (1956)

A Night of Their Own (1965)

This Island Now (1966)

The View from Coyaba (1985)

The Black Experience in the 20th Century: An Autobiography and Meditation (2000)

Studies:

The writing of Peter Abrahams. By Kolawole Ogungbesan

Peter Abrahams. By Michael Wade

The novels of Peter Abrahams and the rise of nationalism in Africa. By Robert Ensor

Art and politics in the novels of Peter Abrahams: a study of his three political novels. By Clive Philip Leeman

The death of African kings: the novels of Peter Abrahams. By Ngwarsungu Chiwengo