Harry Bloom

Harry Bloom (1913-1981) was a South African journalist, novelist, and political activist. Educated at the University of the Witwatersrand, he worked as an advocate in Johannesburg until exiling himself to England in 1963.

Related Topics:
1913 - 1981 - South Africa - University of the Witwatersrand - Johannesburg - England - 1963

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His first novel, Transvaal Episode (originally published as Episode, 1956), was banned because the South African authorities believed it to be dangerous to the safety of the apartheid state. It is the story of an uprising in the fictional township of Nelstroom in the aftermath of the 1952-3 African National Congress defiance campaign. Bloom was denied an exit permit to travel to England to receive the British Authors' Club Prize for the best novel of 1956 for Episode.

Related Topics:
1956 - Apartheid - 1952 - African National Congress

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Bloom's second novel, Whittaker's Wife (1962), was completed while he was serving a three-month detention in prison, while the apartheid government ordered the burning of books. He also wrote the book for King Kong: An African Jazz Opera (1961), the tragedy of a boxer from the black ghetto, which reached a multiracial audience both locally and internationally.

Related Topics:
1962 - 1961

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In 1963, he moved to England, and in 1965, he became a Professor of Law at the University of Kent, England, where he worked until 1974. He died of a stroke in 1981, survived by wife Sonia, daughter Samantha, and son Orlando.

Related Topics:
1965 - 1974

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Orlando Bloom is famous for having played Legolas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. When he was 13, his mother revealed to him that his biological father was family friend Colin Stone, but obviously he kept his original name.

Related Topics:
Orlando Bloom - Legolas - Lord of the Rings

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Sonia Bloom continues to be active in the community, speaking at events like the 'Seeds of Africa' week at the Gulbenkian Theatre about her late husband's work. Others continue to be interested in his legacy. Richard Attenborough was very impressed with this work, and had been interested in adapting Transvaal Episode into a film; he opted to do Cry Freedom instead.

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