Ronald Suresh Roberts

Ronald Suresh Roberts (also known by his initials RSR) is a Trinidadian biographer and columnist currently living in South Africa. His writing is notable for the controversy surrounding his position on HIV/AIDS.

Early life

Roberts was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, and received a scholarship to study at university in the United Kingdom when he finished his secondary education (the same scholarship that fellow Trinidadian V.S. Naipaul had received many years earlier).

Biographies

Roberts has written books on the lives of South African President Thabo Mbeki, Nadine Gordimer, a recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature and American jurist Clarence Thomas. [cite web|url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-0246493-4719223?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Ronald%20Suresh%20Roberts|title=Amazon.com author page|publisher=Amazon.com|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008] He also writes columns for the website thoughtleader.co.za [cite web|url=http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/ronaldsureshroberts|title=Ronald Suresh Roberts on Thoughtleader.co.za|publisher=ThoughtLeader|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008] and Empire magazine, and is a regular letter writer and guest columnist in several South African newspapers.

Controversy

In 2004 Gordimer refused to authorize Roberts' biography of her, and both Bloomsbury Publishing in London and Farrar, Straus and Giroux publishers in New York withdrew from the project as a result. [cite web|url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,1278131,00.html|title=Nobel writer Gordimer, champion of free speech, is accused of censorship|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008] . The following year saw insults traded between the two in what was described as a "war of words" and a "feud". [cite web|url=http://www.sundayindependent.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=1042&fArticleId=3030527|title=Gordimer lashes out at biographer|publisher=Sunday Independent (SA)|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008]

His work on Thabo Mbeki was heavily criticized as a hagiography. [cite web|url=http://www.sabcnews.com/politics/government/0,2172,155025,00.html|title=Suresh-Roberts lashes out at Mbeki's detractors|publisher=SABC News|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008] Also controversial was the sponsorship of the book by major banking group Absa, which contributed R1.43 million towards it. The sponsorship was alleged to have been organized by Essop Pahad, who as Minister in the Presidency reported directly to Mbeki. [cite web|url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=vn20070118060315893C889521|title=Did Minister Pahad mislead parliament?|publisher=Independent Online|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008] 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'". [cite web|url=http://www.lyingandthieving.com/|title=Lyingandthieving.com|Anthony Brink|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008]

The relationship between Roberts and the South African media has been rocky, with allegations of censorship abounding. Roberts accused Gordimer of censorship by trying to prevent the publication of the biography. [cite web|url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,1278131,00.html|title=Nobel writer Gordimer, champion of free speech, is accused of censorship|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008] Roberts himself has several times demanded apologies from various newspapers including The Sunday Times [cite web|url=http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=129&fArticleId=2248131|title=Suresh Roberts seeks an apology|publisher=The Star|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008] and has been granted at least one retraction. [cite web|url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=13&set_id=1&art_id=nw20071008115047868C909115|title=Sunday paper apologises to Qunta, Roberts|publisher=Independent Online|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008] Roberts has also accused Business Day editor Peter Bruce of censoring his opinions [Empire magazine volume 1 issue 1] ; in a 2007 column Mail & Guardian editor Ferial Haffajee said Roberts "tests my commitment to freedom of expression". [cite web|url=http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/ferialhaffajee/2007/11/15/how-dare-he/|title=Ferial Haffajee:How dare he?|publisher=ThoughtLeader|accessdate=5 July|accessyear=2008]

ee also

Nadine Gordimer

References