Burger's Daughter (original 1979; edition 1980)

This was the second novel by Nadine Gordimer that I have read; several years ago I read her short novel, July's People. I wish this novel had been a bit shorter, for I did not enjoy reading it. The story follows the life of Rosa, the title character, as she comes to terms with her father Lionel's legacy as an activist in the South African Communist Party over the course of 30 years. The perspective shifts between Rosa's internal monologue (often directed towards her father or her sometimes lover Conrad), and the omniscient narrator. The novel is rooted in the history of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa with references to actual events and people from that period.
Her somewhat cryptic style and the difficulty I had trying to focus on what was happening in the story made reading it more difficult than it was worth. There were moments of beautiful prose and my own travel to South Africa helped me picture some of the settings. However the history seemed to overwhelm the story of Rosa Burger. I asked myself whether this was a novel about Rosa Burger with historical context or if Burger's daughter was a cipher who inhabited a narrative about the history of twentieth century South Africa? There were moments in the narrative arc that seemed to exist for Rosa, but there were others that intruded creating a jagged edge. It was these moments where I had to force myself to keep reading from page to page. For a while I hoped the next chapter would bring some relief, but I gradually realized that this book was not going to succeed for this reader. ( )

My first experience with Nadine Gordimer was her Booker Prize-winning novel, The Conservationist. I found the book and Gordimer's writing oddly fascinating, and in said my review, "despite my rather lukewarm reaction to this particular novel, I will definitely be reading more of her work." This year I finally got around to it, first with None to Accompany Me (read my review), and more recently, Burger's Daughter. And now I think I've had enough of Gordimer to last me a very long time.

Burger's Daughter explores the idea of legacy through the character of Rosa Burger. After the death of her parents, both South African activists, Rosa tries to come to terms with what it means to be the daughter of such notable public figures. She is accustomed to dealing with the authorities, and with having to keep certain activities and relationships secret or risk arrest. She never knows whether people are interested in her for who she is, or for whose daughter she is.

That sounds kind of interesting, doesn't it? Well it was, up to a point. But I missed the prerequisite course in South African politics and the issues of the day, and this time Gordimer's writing completely failed to engage me. I read about 1/3 of this book but it was just too much of a struggle.

A story set in South Africa in the sixties and seventies and tells the story of Rosa Burger, daughter of Lionel Burger. Rosa’s parents were Afrikaner Marxists and political activists who opposed apartheid. Rosa loses both her parents to the political struggle. Her dad died in prison. Rosa has no identity of her own and she has no private life. Everything for Rosa is “because I am my father’s daughter” pg 62. He role is imprinted on her. The book explores the impact of apartheid on the people of South Africa. And the society that is racially divided. Rosa discovers that the blacks don’t what the solutions of “well meaning whites”. “ Blackness is the blackman refusing to believe the whiteman’s way of life is best for the blacks. Pg 163” Early in the book, Rosa states in her head that “desire can be very comforting”, she would like to live life without social responsibility and be anonymous like other people. She eventually does get to leave South Africa where she looks for a way to escape her father. She spends some time in France and England only to return to South Africa and her role of ‘her father’s daughter’.
I’ve read a few books about South Africa now and this is not one I would favor. It just was not that fun to read. The story is told through internal monologue as Rosa converses in her thoughts with Conrad, her father or other people. I gave it three stars but really I hovered over 2 stars for awhile. Gordimer won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. ( )

The Burger's Daughter was, I think, a good book, but not a great book. The story was interesting--Rosa is a white Afrikkaner and the daughter of two commuist, anti-apartheid, martyrs. The book describes her coming to terms with this legacy and her own place in the world and in South Africa.
Gordimer's writing style is not easy for me to ready. The narrative voice constantly shifts. I think this is because we see Rosa through the eyes of different people, and never really through her own eyes. This makes a statement about the perils of a life lived as a public figure. Also Gordimer doesn't use quotation marks for conversation. This makes it feel as if the whole story takes place in someone's head. Again, interesting, but not as readable as I would like. ( )

My daughter is reading this book for an English course and I happened to still have my copy from 1980, a yellowed old penguin paperback. I was reminded of how much I disliked the book, even after all these years. ( )