| Censorship can affect writers not only by altering or banning their work but also by introducing self-censorship into the process of literary creation. The analysis of literature product under censorship restrictions should therefore take the influence of censorship into account.; My dissertation examines the influence of censorship on Afrikaans and English literature in South Africa between 1963, when the first censorship law was enacted, and 1985, when a State of Emergency was declared. Writing under the system of apartheid confronted the writer with the moral and ethical dilemma of meeting the demands of the censor while preserving his artistic integrity. As an introductory matter, my thesis describes the legal apparatus and application of censorship. It then considers three groups of writers: white writers writing in Afrikaans, white writers writing in English, and black writers writing in English. It discusses the differential treatment accorded each group by the censors and its consequences. Self-censorship in the form of evasive strategies is one of the central themes. In addition to the analyses of the specific effects of censorship on the works of authors like Andre Brink, Nadine Gordimer, J. M. Coetzee and Miriam Tlali, broader issues such as the fictional nature of literature, the meaning of literary conventions in a situation of political oppression, and the different aesthetics of production and reception that apply to each group, are examined. |
