A Very Strange Society

Last updated
A Very Strange Society: A Journey to the Heart of South Africa
Very-Strange-Society (1967) Allen-Drury.jpg
First edition cover
Author Allen Drury
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Non-fiction
PublisherTrident Press
Publication date
1967
Media typePrint (hardcover & paperback)
Pages465
ISBN 1-299-27312-2

A Very Strange Society: A Journey to the Heart of South Africa is a 1967 non-fiction book by Allen Drury. [1] [2] [3] It explores the then-evolving government and culture of the Republic of South Africa. [4]

Contents

Overview

Combining newspaper articles, interviews and government edicts, Drury presents the "achievements and failures" of the new republic, which was founded in 1961. [4]

Critical reception

In November 1967, Kirkus Reviews wrote:

Utilizing a pro and con format, Drury presents a rather convincing case why a minority of whites should be in a position to totally dominate and manipulate a vastly larger non-white population. Although he scores Afrikaan provincialism, police-state methods, and obduracy, it is done in a manner that suggests redemption will come from the purging of traits rather than ideology. In a sense, this book derives its lethality from what it most certainly isn't — crackpot and extremist. On the other hand, it most certainly fails as a dispassionate and objective handling of the South African dilemma. [4]

Related Research Articles

Whiteness studies is the study of the structures that produce white privilege, the examination of what whiteness is when analyzed as a race, a culture, and a source of systemic racism, and the exploration of other social phenomena generated by the societal compositions, perceptions and group behaviors of white people. It is an interdisciplinary arena of inquiry that has developed beginning in the United States from white trash studies and critical race studies, particularly since the late 20th century. It is focused on what proponents describe as the cultural, historical and sociological aspects of people identified as white, and the social construction of "whiteness" as an ideology tied to social status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Drury</span> American writer

Allen Stuart Drury was an American novelist. During World War II, he was a reporter in the Senate, closely observing Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, among others. He would convert these experiences into his first novel Advise and Consent, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960. Long afterwards, it was still being praised as ‘the definitive Washington tale’. His diaries from this period were published as A Senate Journal 1943–45.

<i>Advise and Consent</i> 1959 novel by Allen Drury

Advise and Consent is a 1959 political fiction novel by Allen Drury that explores the United States Senate confirmation of controversial Secretary of State nominee Robert Leffingwell, whose promotion is endangered due to growing evidence that the nominee had been a member of the Communist Party. The chief characters' responses to the evidence, and their efforts to spread or suppress it, form the basis of the novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay literature</span> Literary genre

Gay literature is a collective term for literature produced by or for the gay community which involves characters, plot lines, and/or themes portraying male homosexual behavior.

<i>Pentagon</i> (novel)

Pentagon is a 1986 political novel by Allen Drury which follows the American military bureaucracy as it reacts to a crisis with the Soviet Union. It is a standalone work set in a different fictional timeline from Drury's 1959 novel Advise and Consent, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Galgut</span> South African writer (born 1963)

Damon Galgut is a South African novelist and playwright. He was awarded the 2021 Booker Prize for his novel The Promise, having previously been shortlisted for the award in 2003 and 2010.

<i>A Shade of Difference</i> 1962 novel by Allen Drury

A Shade of Difference (ISBN 0-385-02389-8) is a 1962 political novel written by Allen Drury. It is the first sequel to Advise and Consent, for which Drury was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960, and was followed in 1966 by Capable of Honor.

<i>Capable of Honor</i> 1966 novel by Allen Drury

Capable of Honor is a 1966 political novel written by Allen Drury. It is the second sequel to Advise and Consent, for which Drury was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960.

<i>Preserve and Protect</i> 1968 novel by Allen Drury

Preserve and Protect is a 1968 political novel written by Allen Drury. It is the third sequel to Advise and Consent, for which Drury was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960, and is followed by two alternate sequels of its own, Come Nineveh, Come Tyre (1973) and The Promise of Joy (1975).

<i>Mark Coffin, U.S.S.</i> 1979 novel by Allen Drury

Mark Coffin U.S.S. is a 1979 political novel by Allen Drury which follows the titular young U.S. Senator as he navigates Washington politics. It is set in a different fictional timeline from Drury's 1959 novel Advise and Consent, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

<i>Anna Hastings</i> 1977 novel by Allen Drury

Anna Hastings: The Story of a Washington Newspaperperson is a 1977 political novel by Allen Drury which follows the titular reporter as she climbs her way to the top of the Washington media elite. It is set in a different fictional timeline from Drury's 1959 novel Advise and Consent, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

<i>Decision</i> (novel) 1983 novel by Allen Drury

Decision is a 1983 political novel by Allen Drury which follows a newly appointed Supreme Court Justice as he is faced with the most difficult decision of his life. It is a standalone work set in a different fictional timeline from Drury's 1959 novel Advise and Consent, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

<i>A God Against the Gods</i> 1976 novel by Allen Drury

A God Against the Gods is a 1976 historical novel by political novelist Allen Drury, which chronicles ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten's attempt to establish a new religion in Egypt. It is told in a series of monologues by the various characters.

<i>That Summer</i> (Drury novel) 1965 novel by Allen Drury

That Summer is a 1965 novel by political novelist Allen Drury which chronicles melodrama among the elite in the California town of Greenmont. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Michael Joseph, and then by Coward-McCann in the United States in 1966.

<i>A Thing of State</i> 1995 novel by Allen Drury

A Thing of State is a 1995 political novel by Allen Drury which follows the U.S. State Department's response to a crisis in the Middle East. It is a standalone work set in a different fictional timeline from Drury's 1959 novel Advise and Consent, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Allen Drurys <i>University</i> series

Allen Drury's University series is a trio of novels written by political novelist Allen Drury between 1990 and 1998, which follow a group of university fraternity brothers for a span of over 60 years from 1938 to 2001. Drury graduated from Stanford University in 1939, and his experiences there provided the basis for the series. The novels are set in a different fictional timeline from Drury's 1959 novel Advise and Consent, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

<i>Courage and Hesitation</i> 1971 non-fiction book by Allen Drury

Courage and Hesitation: Notes and Photographs of the Nixon Administration is a 1971 non-fiction book by Allen Drury. It is an inside look at U. S. President Richard Nixon and those closest to him midway through his first term in office, with photographs by Fred J. Maroon.

<i>Egypt: The Eternal Smile</i> 1980 non-fiction book by Allen Drury

Egypt: The Eternal Smile: Reflections on a Journey is a 1980 non-fiction coffee table book by Allen Drury. It is a travelogue of a trip through Egypt undertaken by Drury and photographer Alex Gotfryd.

References

  1. Brennan, Elizabeth A.; Clarage, Elizabeth C., eds. (December 17, 1998). Who's Who of Pulitzer Prize Winners. Greenwood Press. pp. 229–230. ISBN   1-573-56111-8.
  2. "Drury, Allen (1918 September 2 - 1998 September 2): Biographical History". Online Archive of California. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  3. TAU SA (October 3, 2011). "A very strange society". Politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "A Very Strange Society by Allen Drury". Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved January 20, 2015.