Maggie L. Brown
Author Project ENGL 5360
Mark Mathane
Biographical Info
Book Titles
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1960
Oldest of seven children
Major struggles with the slowly dying regime
of apartheid
Discovered tennis through grandmother’s
white employers
1978 came to America on tennis scholarship
Published first book, autobiography, Kaffir
Boy, in 1986
Currently the author of eight books, mostly
biographies
It is nothing short
of amazing to learn
that Mathabane’s
first memories of
white people, the
police who made
frequent and violent
raids on the shanty
town where Mark
was born, did not
permanently scar
Mark’s desire to
learn from and
understand any
person he came into
contact with.
Kaffir Boy
Kaffir Boy in America
Ubuntu
Miriam’s Song
Love in Black and White
African Women
The Last Liberal
Deadly Memory
Mathabane
acknowledges both
the ignorance and the
benevolence of the
white population who
affected his coming of
age, during the bloody
reign of apartheid in
South Africa. It was
through his
association with
liberal whites that
Mark learned the skill
for tennis that was the
key to his future in
America.
Mark’s parents represented the polarity of the minds of
typical, poor blacks in Johannesburg. Mark’s father
hung on to the traditional tribal ideals such as pride,
hard work, prayer to tribal gods, hatred of all whites,
and distrust of education. He frequently berated Mark
for having such a determination to be educated.
However, Mark’s mother, though herself illiterate,
sacrificed, lied, and maintained two jobs to support her
son’s educational pursuits. One vivid scene in Kaffir
Boy tells how Mark’s mother literally tied him up and
dragged him to his first day of school.
Books and Synopsis
Mathabane’s first book, it tells
of his political and personal
struggles during his coming of
age in apartheid ruled South
Africa
Mathabane’s first work of fiction
tells the story of a white human
rights lawyer and a black South
African man who fall in love in
post-Apartheid South Africa.
This is the “sequel” to the autobiography.
It begins in America, where Mark has
earned a tennis scholarship. Details his
education in the university and the streets
of America.
Co-authored with his wife, Gail.
The Mathabanes describe the
prejudices against interacial
couples in America.
This book is a biographical
tribute to the spirit and
determination of three of the
African women in Mark’s life;
his grandmother, mother, and
youngest sister.
Mathabane co-authored this
book with his mother. Miriam
tells the story of growing up in
South Africa and how her life
changed when her son brings
her to America.
Deadly Memory
Not yet published. A disturbing
narrative about a pedophile, who
stalks in victims to avoid
discovery.
The Last Liberal
This book is listed as
Mathabane’s newest work of
fiction, but it has not yet been
published, and no description was
available.
Quotes From Mark Mathabane
On Kaffir Boy- “The raw emotions and experiences in "Kaffir
Boy," which constitute the core of its power and appeal, have
made the book controversial ever since its publication in the
United States in 1986. When it became required reading for
thousands of high school students nationwide several years ago,
it was challenged by parents in school districts in a dozen states
and, in some cases, withdrawn. No, what surprises--and disturbs-me is the decision at Kearsley to censor the text, altering a
passage that marks a crucial turning point in the book--and in my
life… Books aren't written with the comfort of readers in mind. I
know I didn't write "Kaffir Boy" that way. I wrote it to reflect
reality, to show the world the inhumanity of the apartheid
system. It wasn't an easy book for me to write. The memories
gave me nightmares.”
On his mother’s wisdom- “My mother had the wisdom to know that hatred thrives on
hatred. She saw how white racism and oppression was transforming black children into
haters. The only way to save me, my mother concluded, was by showing me love in
action. For a long time I was baffled by why she never hated people who were making
her suffer, such as white people and my father. When I finally asked her, she replied, ‘No
good can ever come out of hating, my child. But miracles can be achieved through the
power of love.’ My mother achieved many miracles through the power of love.”
On Love In Black and White- “Our book is not another "scientific" or "sociological"
study of mixed couples. It is simply the story of two individuals who fell in love. From
outward appearances, we could not be more dissimilar—a blond American who grew up
in relative comfort in the middle-class suburbs of Ohio, Texas and Minnesota, and an
African raised in segregated South Africa amid dire poverty, suffering and racism.”
Websites Used in Gathering this Information
www.mathabane.com
a website maintained by Mark’s mother
www.culture1.com/news/mmathabane.htm
an interview with Mark mathabane