Ronald Suresh Roberts
Encyclopedia
Ronald Suresh Roberts, also known as RSR, is a Trinidad
ian biographer and columnist
. He currently lives in South Africa
.
. He received a national scholarship to study at Bailliol College, Oxford in the United Kingdom
, then received his LLM degree from Harvard Law School
.
, Nobel Prize in literature
winner Nadine Gordimer
, and American jurist
Clarence Thomas
.
He writes columns for Empire magazine
and the website thoughtleader.co.za, and is a regular letter writer and guest columnist for several South African newspapers.
and Farrar, Straus and Giroux
in New York
subsequently withdrew from the project. Jonathan Galassi, the president and publisher of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, stated that the decision to decline the manuscript was not due solely to Gordimer's objections to the content but also to the quality of the writing. A publisher at Bloomsbury spoke positively about the manuscript, but cited Gordimer's refusal to authorize the biography as their reason not to publish it. Roberts characterized Gordimer's attempts to prevent publication of the biography as censorship and subsequently self-published the manuscript.
Roberts' work on Thabo Mbeki was heavily criticized as a hagiography
. Major banking group Absa
sponsored the book, contributing R1.43 million towards it. The Democratic Alliance political party accused Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad
of arranging for the sponsorship as an official act of the government, rather than as a private citizen, despite Pahad's reporting directly to Mbeki.
In 2007 author Anthony Brink accused Roberts of plagiarizing
sections of the biography
and launched a campaign to publicize the claim by way of an e-book
titled Lying and thieving: The fraudulent scholarship of Ronald Suresh Roberts in 'Fit to Govern: The Native Intelligence of Thabo Mbeki' .
Roberts has accused the South African media of censorship
several times, demanding apologies from various newspapers including The Sunday Times
, and has been granted at least one retraction. Roberts has also accused Business Day
editor Peter Bruce
of censoring his opinions; in a 2007 column Mail & Guardian
editor Ferial Haffajee
said Roberts "tests my commitment to freedom of expression".
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
ian biographer and columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
. He currently lives in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Early life
Roberts was born and raised in Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. He received a national scholarship to study at Bailliol College, Oxford in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, then received his LLM degree from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
.
Biographies
Roberts has written books on the lives of South African President Thabo MbekiThabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
, Nobel Prize in literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
winner Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature when she was recognised as a woman "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity".Her writing has long dealt...
, and American jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
.
He writes columns for Empire magazine
Empire (SA magazine)
Empire was a South African magazine published every four weeks between December 2007 and October 2008.It covered media, arts and culture and rapidly established a reputation for controversial articles....
and the website thoughtleader.co.za, and is a regular letter writer and guest columnist for several South African newspapers.
Controversy
Roberts first approached Nadine Gordimer regarding a biography in 1996. Gordimer initially agreed, with the condition that she would have oversight of the resulting manuscript. After several years of interviews and research, Roberts provided Gordimer with a draft; Gordimer objected to multiple points of the manuscript. When Roberts refused to make changes, Gordimer refused to authorize the biography. Publishers Bloomsbury Publishing in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger W. Straus, Jr. and John C. Farrar. Known primarily as Farrar, Straus in its first decade of existence, the company was renamed several times, including Farrar, Straus and Young and Farrar, Straus and Cudahy...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
subsequently withdrew from the project. Jonathan Galassi, the president and publisher of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, stated that the decision to decline the manuscript was not due solely to Gordimer's objections to the content but also to the quality of the writing. A publisher at Bloomsbury spoke positively about the manuscript, but cited Gordimer's refusal to authorize the biography as their reason not to publish it. Roberts characterized Gordimer's attempts to prevent publication of the biography as censorship and subsequently self-published the manuscript.
Roberts' work on Thabo Mbeki was heavily criticized as a hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
. Major banking group Absa
ABSA
ABSA may refer to:* ABSA Cargo Airline, a cargo airline* Absa Group Limited, the largest consumer bank in South Africa* African Baseball & Softball Association* Australian Bird Study Association, an ornithological organization...
sponsored the book, contributing R1.43 million towards it. The Democratic Alliance political party accused Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad
Essop Pahad
Essop Goolam Pahad is a South African politician. He was Minister in the Presidency from 1999 to September 2008.-Early life:...
of arranging for the sponsorship as an official act of the government, rather than as a private citizen, despite Pahad's reporting directly to Mbeki.
In 2007 author Anthony Brink accused Roberts of plagiarizing
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
sections of the biography
and launched a campaign to publicize the claim by way of an e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
titled Lying and thieving: The fraudulent scholarship of Ronald Suresh Roberts in 'Fit to Govern: The Native Intelligence of Thabo Mbeki' .
Roberts has accused the South African media of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
several times, demanding apologies from various newspapers including The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, and has been granted at least one retraction. Roberts has also accused Business Day
Business Day
Business Day can refer to:*Business day, a period of time*Business Day *Business Day *Business Day...
editor Peter Bruce
Peter Bruce
Peter George Bruce FRS, FRSE is Scottish chemist, and Wardlaw Professor of Chemistry at the University of St Andrews....
of censoring his opinions; in a 2007 column Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
The Mail & Guardian is a South African weekly newspaper, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a strong focus on politics, government, the environment, civil society and business.- The Mail & Guardian newspaper :...
editor Ferial Haffajee
Ferial Haffajee
Ferial Haffajee is the editor of the City Press newspaper and previously the editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper. She was the first Coloured woman editor of a major newspaper in South Africa....
said Roberts "tests my commitment to freedom of expression".