Paton was a prolific essay writer on race and politics in South Africa. In "Save the Beloved Country" he plays on the famous title of his first novel, but keeps a serious tone in discussing many of the famous personalities and issues on different sides of South Africa's apartheid struggle. His Anglican faith was another factor in his life and work: the title of one work is "Instrument of Thy Peace". Paton also wrote two autobiographies: "Towards the Mountain" deals with Paton's life leading up to and including the publication of "Cry, the Beloved Country" (an event that changed the course of his life) while "Journey Continued" takes its departure from that time onwards. He also wrote biographies of his friends Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr ("Hofmeyr"), and Geoffrey Clayton ("Apartheid and the Archbishop"). Another literary form that interested him throughout his life was poetry; the biographer Peter Alexander includes many of these poems in his biography of Paton.