R. W. Johnson (born 1943; Richard William, "Bill" ) is a British

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

, political scientist, and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

who lives in South Africa. Born in England, he was educated at

Natal University The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...

and

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

, as a Rhodes Scholar. He was a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in politics at

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, for 26 yearsIvan Fallo
"'South Africa's Brave New World', By R. W. Johnson"
''The Independent'', 17 April 2009 and remains an emeritus fellow. His 2015 book ''Look Back in Laughter: Oxford's Postwar Golden Age'' is a memoir of his years at Magdalen, including his work with college president Keith Griffin to rescue the College's finances and buildings. In reviewing his memoirs, ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'' described Johnson as a "romantic contrarian liberal". On his return to South Africa in 1995, he became director of the

Helen Suzman Foundation The Helen Suzman Foundation is an independent, non-partisan think-tank in South Africa dedicated to promoting liberal democratic values and human rights in post-apartheid South Africa through its research, publications, litigation and submissions ...

in Johannesburg until 2001. He has been a South Africa correspondent for the London '' Sunday Times'' and also written for the '' London Review of Books'' His articles for the ''LRB'' generally cover

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

n and, to a lesser extent,

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

an affairs. In early March 2009, Johnson injured his left foot while swimming. It became infected with

necrotizing fasciitis Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also known as flesh-eating disease, is a bacterial infection that results in the death of parts of the body's soft tissue. It is a severe disease of sudden onset that spreads rapidly. Symptoms usually include red or p ...

and his leg was amputated above the knee."RW Johnson Loses Part of Leg After Lagoon Swim"
''Book SA - News'', 23 March 2009

Bibliography

* (ed. with Christopher Allen) ''African Perspectives'' (1970) * ''How Long Will South Africa Survive?'' (1977) * ''The Long March of the French Left'' (1981) * ''Shootdown: The Verdict on KAL 007'' (1985) * ''Heroes and Villains: Selected Essays'' (1990) * (ed. with Lawrence Schlemmer) ''Launching Democracy in South Africa: South Africa's First Open Election, April 1994'' (1996) * (ed. with David Welsh) ''Ironic Victory: Liberalism in Post-Liberation South Africa'' (1998) * ''South Africa; The First Man, the Last Nation'' (2004) * ''South Africa's Brave New World: The Beloved Country since the End of Apartheid'' (2009) * ''How Long Will South Africa Survive?: The Looming Crisis'' (2015) * ''Look Back in Laughter: Oxford's Postwar Golden Age'' (2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, R. W. 1943 births Living people South African non-fiction writers University of Natal alumni South African Rhodes Scholars South African political scientists Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford British emigrants to South Africa South African amputees