Context of the Novelist and Popularity of the Novel

Bryce Courtenay, the author of the classic novel The Power of One experienced a lot of struggles and hardships throughout his life already from a young age. The classic story The Power of One includes loose links to the struggles that Courtenay experience through out his life.

Courtenay was born in 1933 in South Africa.  At the age of five he was sent to a boarding home, at this boarding home  

St five years of age Courtenay was sent to boarding school, after spending the first part of his childhood in the country on a isolated farm in the Lebombo Mountains. Courtenay found it difficult at this boarding school as he did not fit in, and was bullied. At the boarding school he learnt to box in order to survive the torture of his fellow school members. Later in his childhood he moved to Barberton in the north Eastern part of South Africa and met a germen music teacher who he referred to as Doc. Courtenay spent much time with Doc in the bush of Africa wandering around. During his time in Barberton he studied at a private high school, upon finishing Courtenay studied journalism.

Courtenay was exiled from South Africa when he set up a weekend school to educate the black, native Africans. He went to England where he did further studies and fell in love with an Australian. Courtenay married his wife – Benita- in Australia in ………. And he set up a highly successful advertising business in Sydney, because of the business success Courtenay was able to retire at the age of 55 and took up the art of a novelist. Courtenay’s first book The Power of One was published in 1989 and was his first best selling classics that were embarrassed by many people throughout Australia and al over the world.

What makes Courtenay’s novel –The Power of One – such a classic?  The story that Courtenay shares with his audience is a very simple story, about the life of a young boy as he make the journey to manhood. The way the Courtenay write the novel make the novel so intriguing and attractive to the audience. Courtenay is the master of description, throughout his book. The amazing description and the novels appeal to the audience, has caused the novel to be sold world wide with more than 1 million copies being sold globally.

Courtenay wrote the novel for a particular audience, the book was particular written to the Australian people, as Courtenay is considered an Australian author. Yet the book also is written to a much broader range of audience, that is not characterised by any nationality or race, the book encourages and helps people to see that through determination, and perseverance goals may be accomplished. The book tells a very encouraging story and so it’s audience can be very broad to all sorts of people, in their separate circumstance in life.