Peter Abrahams, Tell Freedom: Annotated Bibliography

Birte Hüsemann (student in MA programme Advanced Anglophone Studies)
Peter Abrahams, Tell Freedom: Annotated Bibliography
Abrahams, Peter. “The Conflict of Culture in Africa.” International Affairs 30.3 (July 1954):
304-312.
Critical essay on the conflict between tribalism and Western culture in African countries.
Starting with a literary example, Abrahams then turns to the experiences of Jomo Kenyatta
(later first Prime Minister of Kenya) and Kwame Nkrumah (later first Prime Minister of
Ghana). Through the analysis of Western concepts such as Communism, Kantian ethical
theory and Christianity, Abrahams concludes that the situation of whites in multi-racial
societies can only end in the dilemma of either rejecting the moral and ethical bases of their
culture or giving up their position of power.
Barnett, Ursula A. A Vision of Order. A Study of Black South African Literature in English
(1914-1980). Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1983.
Another introductory work focused especially on works of black authors in South Africa.
Barnett arranges her study according to literary forms such as poetry, drama, or short stories.
In the chapter on autobiographical writing, she compares Abrahams’s Tell Freedom to works
by Ezekiel Mphahlele, Bloke Modisane, and Todd Matshikiza focusing on how these authors
go about presenting their narratives.
Chapman, Michael. Southern African Literatures. Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press,
2003.
This study of Southern African literatures is concerned with different stages of writing not
only in South Africa but also further Southern African states. In a chronological order,
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Chapman begins with early oral traditions and ends with a discussion of late-20th century
literature. Further informative material such as a list of historical and cultural events in
Southern Africa and a map of the countries relevant for the study makes this a very good
introduction to the field of Southern African literatures. Academics and students can profit
from the thematically organized bibliographies that Chapman provides.
Ogunghesan, Kolawole. “The Political Novels of Peter Abrahams.” Phylon 34.4 (1973): 419432.
This article deals with Abrahams’ political novels, A Wreath for Udomo (1956), A Night of
Their Own (1965), and This Island Now (1966). Ogunghesan states general topics of these
books like individuality, the fight against apartheid, or the idea of the Commonwealth and
criticizes Abrahams’ Westernized view on tribalism. Although this text is not explicitly
concerned with Tell Freedom, it nevertheless introduces many of the topics that are important
in Abrahams’ auto-biographical writing.
Thumbadoo, Romola Vasantha. “Detribalization and Racial Conflict as Major Themes in
Peter Abrahams’ African Writings.” 1975. Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper
4345. <http://digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca/opendissertations>. 28 Jan 2013.
After an introduction to the various groups of people living in South Africa and the history of
settlement and colonization, Thumbadoo concludes that the racial interaction is omnipresent
in South African life and therefore also of great importance for writers. In the analysis of Tell
Freedom, major themes are identified and used to discuss Abrahams’s work and the life in
South Africa that is depicted. Through the close reading of certain passages, Thumbadoo
shows in a convincing way that Abrahams’s autobiographical writing does not descend into
mere self-pity but always presents hope even in times of hardship.
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