Analysis Of Nadine Gordimer s The Lying Days

Nadine gordimer was born on November 20, 1923 in Springs, South Africa, a gold mining town east of Johannesburg. Her parents both immigrated from different parts of the country; her father from Latvia and mother from England. Despite her parents both being jewish, she was raised in a secular environment and attended a Catholic school for girls. Gordimer’s father accepted the harsh order of South Africa, while her mother protested it. The first time Gordimer had experienced the society was a raid at their home, their black housekeeper suspected of brewing beer illegally. She also enjoyed dance and developed a low from writing early on. Gordimer published her first book at the age of fifteen, â€Å"The Lying Days†. After a brief illness, her mother removed her from school and dance classes to be home schooled. She taught herself by studying the masters of European fiction, such as Proust and Chekhov. Gordimer briefly attended the University of Witwatersrand where she made the acquaintance of educated young black Africans for the first time in her life, including artists and writers from Sophiatown. Without a degree, Gordimer left the university and settled in Johannesburg 1948, the same year the National Party won an election and began to institute it’s policy of apartheid. Towns were demolished to remove black Afrikaans and replace them with white residents. Gordimer became friends with Bettie du Toit in Johannesburg, having a power influence on how Gordimer thought and what