Down 2nd Avenue

A Riveting Memoir of Struggle and Identity in the Face of Apartheid

First published in 1959, Down Second Avenue is Nobel Prize nominee Es'kia Mphahlele's powerful autobiography of his South African childhood and his fight against discrimination. The memoir vividly portrays Es'kia's early years in Maupaneng, a small village outside Pietersburg, and Marabastad, a location in Pretoria, where he displayed remarkable academic promise. This led to a career as a teacher, but after several years, he was barred from teaching due to his vocal opposition to the segregation and discrimination rampant in schools. Mphahlele then worked for Drum magazine in various roles before ultimately being exiled from South Africa in 1957.

Down Second Avenue is Mphahlele's personal account of his tireless pursuit of identity and dignity amidst the increasingly discriminatory policies of the South African government. Deftly blending humor and pathos, this compelling memoir offers an intimate look at the injustices of apartheid and one man's unwavering determination to rise above it.