Alan Stewart Paton (11 January 1903 – 12 April 1988) was a South African writer and anti-apartheid activist. His notable works include the novels Cry, the Beloved Country, Too Late the Phalarope and the narrative poem The Wasteland. He was a pioneer in opposing the apartheid system through his literature and public speeches. Paton’s literary contributions extend beyond his novels; he was also involved in the founding of the Liberal Party in South Africa, which aimed to fight against apartheid laws.

Before embarking on his writing career, Paton was educated at a school in Ixopo, where he started his career and met and married his first wife. His transition to the director of a reformatory for black youths at Diepkloof near Johannesburg had a profound effect on his thinking and inspired much of his work. Paton's most renowned publication, Cry, the Beloved Country, offers a searing account of the inhumanity of apartheid, told in a lyrical voice that emphasizes his love for the land and people of South Africa and his hope for change in the future.