Between Rocks and Hard Places: the Controversial Career of A.S. Mopeli-Paulus

Abstract

This paper offers an overview of the career and writings of A.S. Mopeli-Paulus, with key concerns being his Lesotho–South African transborder experience, his self-identification as a Mosotho, his sometimes rarefied attempts to account for “Sesotho being,” and his regression from resisting apartheid legislation to participation in the Bantustan administration. The paper examines his Englishlanguage novels, autobiography and unpublished fiction, but also covers some of his work in Sesotho, including two little-known final publications, which, together with interview material from his son Chiefta, throw light on the more controversial aspects of his career.