Nadine Gordimer, Athol Fugard and Elie Wiesel: Messengers of Humanity

What It Takes®

Academy of Achievement

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4.6 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 19 July 2021

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

These three writers used the power of their pens to expose and explore man's inhumanity to man. You'll hear the presentations they gave at the Academy of Achievement's International Summits. South African novelist and anti-Apartheid activist Nadine Gordimer was the author of "Burger's Daughter" and "July's People", and she received the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature. Playwright Athol Fugard, also South African and an outspoken critic of Apartheid, received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011. His most famous plays include "Master Harold and the Boys" and "The Blood Knot". The third writer we'll hear from is Elie Wiesel, the legendary Auschwitz survivor who wrote many novels and non-fiction books about the horrors of the Holocaust, but always with a sense of hope for humankind. He was also an unrelenting advocate for human rights around the world, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. All three writers speak here about their lives and give profound advice to young people about how to live a meaningful life. (c ) American Academy of Achievement 2021

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Alice.
0:04.0	In 1784, Robert Burns wrote a poem that gave us the phrase,
0:09.0	Man's In Humanity to Man,
0:12.0	a phrase that has been used countless times since and
0:16.1	tragically has never had caused to wane. I looked up the origin of the line
0:21.7	because I was thinking about the three authors you'll hear from on this episode.
0:26.2	Each of them has through their extraordinary writing
0:30.0	explored the human struggle for dignity in a world which is far too often cruel beyond imagination.
0:38.0	Two of these world-renowned writers are white South Africans who were fierce critics of the apartheid system.
0:46.2	Athol Fuggard, South Africa's greatest playwright, and novelist Nadine Gortimer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991.
0:56.0	Our third writer, Ellie Visell, was also outspoken in the struggle against apartheid.
1:02.4	He stood for the victims of oppressive regimes everywhere, but he
1:06.0	was best known as a survivor of the Holocaust who wrote many novels and works of non-fiction reflecting his experience and was called
1:16.2	a messenger to mankind when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.
1:23.4	We profiled Ellie Visele on another episode several years ago, which you should certainly
1:28.8	listen to.
1:30.0	It was primarily an extensive interview.
1:33.4	But this is one of those episodes we do just once or twice a year,
1:37.0	where we give you a taste of what happens
1:39.3	at the Academy of Achievement's International Summit when some of the greatest achievers in the world come together and speak to young delegates.
1:48.0	So, stand by for Elie Risell, Nadine Gortimer, and Athol Fugard on this episode of What It Takes,
1:56.8	a podcast about passion, vision, and perseverance from the Academy of Achievement.
	...

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