Allister Sparks spoke to Polity's Sashnee Moodley in March 2016 about his book the Sword and the Pen: Six Decades on the Political Frontier.

 

Allister Sparks joined his first newspaper at age 17 and was pitched headlong into the vortex of South Africa’s stormy politics. The Sword and the Pen is the story of how as a journalist he observed, chronicled and participated in his country’s unfolding drama for more than 66 years, covering events from the premiership of DF Malan to the presidency of Jacob Zuma, witnessing at close range the rise and fall of apartheid and the rise and crisis of the new South Africa.

In trenchant prose, Sparks has written a remarkable account of both a life lived to its full as well as the surrounding narrative of South Africa from the birth of apartheid, the rise of political opposition, the dawn of democracy, right through to the crisis we are experiencing today.

 

About the author

Allister Sparks was a veteran journalist, newspaper editor, author and political analyst with over half a century of professional experience. Sparks has been the recipient of numerous awards and is the author of several bestselling books about South Africa, including Beyond the Miracle and Tomorrow is another Country.

 

The Sword and the Pen is published by Jonathan Ball Publishers