And a Threefold Cord

by Alex la Guma

Genres: South Africa

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1988

About the author

Alex la Guma was a South African novelist, leader of the South African Coloured People's Organisation (SACPO) and a defendant in the Treason Trial, whose works helped characterise the movement against the apartheid era in South Africa. La Guma's vivid style, distinctive dialogue, and realistic, sympathetic portrayal of oppressed groups have made him one of the most notable South African writers of the 20th century. La Guma was awarded the 1969 Lotus Prize for Literature.

Reviews

[Kristen Bingle]

Amazing read. A beautifully descriptive and poetic novel. La Guma captures the stories of a hidden and marginalised South Africa and of people who don’t often have stories written about them . He fights against the danger of a single story by giving his characters a voice and humanising them in a society that seeks to dehumanise them.

[Daniel Polansky]

A week in a bitterly impoverished 'coloured' Capetown ghetto written by one of the forgotten heroes of the anti-apartheid movement. A 'kitchen-sink' book about the small struggles leading to larger tragedies of an average family. Well-observed and deftly drawn.

[Chris]

Gritty and miserable. You feel impending doom at every turn. Ends on a faint note of optimism but not a contrived one.

[Ross]

A novel as devastating as it is brilliant. La Guma opens our eyes to the social disparity created by apartheid and skilfully interweaves tales of love, violence and police brutality into a short story. Highly recommended.