Matthew Jenner
Staff Writer
One of the most influential and absolutely brilliant writers and activists of recent history has died. Nadine Gordimer has departed this world she so dearly loved and fought for, most notably down here in her home country of South Africa.
Lady Gordimer was one of the most iconic people in South Africa’s literary history. She lived through the horrors of Apartheid – a regime that already flared its ugly head from when she was a child but only came into legitimate existence when Gordimer was a young lady. Her experiences in such a terrible time brought her the opportunity to change the world in her own way, and in a way so many of our greatest minds have given their wisdom and experiences to younger generations: through writing. She always claimed that she was not one who had an interest in politics, but realized with the walls of Apartheid barricading the country from freedom, it would be wrong for a young, ambitious writer like herself to ignore the current state of her country and not write about it.
Gordimer brought such passion to her writing and managed to give readers all around the world a reliable, and often sadly explicit, view on society in South Africa. Her uncanny ability to both be a superb example of a great writer, and her passion for writing about her country’s history, resulted in Gordimer receiving the world’s highest honor for writing – The Nobel Prize for Literature. Gordimer became the first South African to receive this award, and still remains one of only two; with J.M. Coetzee receiving the other.
Nadine Gordimer was a giant in many ways – she is one of the world’s greatest writers, she was a revolutionary activist, and she has made her mark on the walls of the world. She will be sorely missed by everyone she has touched with her work; and by the people of South Africa especially, who owe her so much for representing us so well and always being a beacon of knowledge, fierce passion and pure brilliance.
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