Alan Paton Biography

Cry, the Beloved Country About the Author

Born on January 11, 1903, in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa, Alan Paton evolved as an eloquent spokesman against apartheid and a great humanitarian. In 1935, after completing a series of educational programs at the University of Natal and teaching in the country school of Ixopo, Paton was appointed principal of the Diepkloof Reformatory school in the Transvaal Province, near the city of Johannesburg.

Paton's novel approach (involving freedom of movement, reward, and punishment) proved so successful in the rehabilitation of black juvenile delinquents that in his twelve years as head, the Diepkloof Reformatory was transformed into a model school and Paton became known as an authority on rehabilitation efforts.

After World War II, in 1945, Paton had the opportunity to travel abroad to study the systems and methods of similar correctional facilities in Sweden, Norway, England, the United States, and Canada.

While in Sweden,...
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