1980s: Apartheid laws are still in effect inSouth Africa, with the majority population unable to vote or move about freely.

Today: Apartheid has been abolished, and blacks are allowed to vote in local and national elections.

1980s: Many important works of literature, including works by Nadine Gordimer, are banned inSouth Africa.

Today: With the exception of some school districts occasionally calling for the censorship of certain works, South Africans can read and write without fear of official, state-sanctioned censorship.

1980s: Mozambique andZimbabwe villagers living along the South African borders are frequently displaced because of the guerilla warfare supported by the South African government.

Today:South Africa has long stopped its incursions into neighboring countries, and villagers are no longer forced away from their homes by guerilla raids.

1980s: The African National Congress, of which Gordimer is a long-standing member, is considered illegal by the...