Stones Against the Mirror
Friendship in the time of the South African Struggle
1st Edition
Published on 8. April 2011
192 pages
978-1-4152-0207-4 (ISBN)
Description
A brave and moving memoir which is both a family history and a story of friendship and betrayal between people caught up in the wrenching forces of the South African Struggle. It is framed as a journey between two railway stations. The departure is from Park station Johannesburg and the destination is York station in Britain. It is an actual journey and the arrival at York is a real event, but it is also a symbolic journey in which Lewin describes his progress towards a meeting with Adrian Leftwich, the man who betrayed him to the Security Police in 1964. Park station is the point of departure because it was the site in 1964 of the station bomb planted by John Harris who was associated with the cell in which Lewin operated. The book therefore has a quest structure. After 40 years, Lewin is determined to meet with his long-term friend Leftwich both to find out what happened at his trial and to deal with the emotions of anger and bitterness that have assailed him ever since. Lewin's subject is the culpability of betrayal.
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
South Africa
Publishing group
Penguin Random House South Africa
Product notice
Reflowable
File size
0,41 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4152-0207-4 (9781415202074)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Hugh Lewin began his journalistic career at the Natal Witness before working for Drum magazine and Golden City Post in Johannesburg. After serving the full term of his seven-year sentence for sabotage activities against the apartheid state, he left South Africa on a 'permanent departure permit' in December 1971. Ten years in exile in London were followed by ten years in Zimbabwe. He finally returned to South Africa at the end of 1992. He was appointed director of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Johannesburg and now works as a freelance media trainer. His Struggle memoirs, Bandiet out of Jail won the 2003 Olive Schreiner Prize.
