‘During the lifetime I have dedicated myself to this
struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and I
have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of democratic
and free society… It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But
if need be it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die’ – Nelson Mandela.
Imprisoned
since 1962, Nelson Mandela has become a legend in his own lifetime; the
embodiment of the struggle for liberation in South Africa and a vital symbol of
a new society. As the international campaign for his release grows, he and his
wife Winnie, continue to triumph over unremitting persecution.
In
this timely and absorbing biography, Mary Benson describes Mandela’s life, work
and ideas from his childhood in the royal family of the Thembu people to his
membership and eventual leadership of the African National Congress. Her book
sheds important light on the man whose release is widely regarded as the
essential first step towards averting catastrophe in that tragic land.
The
book is based on interviews with Nelson Mandela before he was imprisoned, on
information gleaned from his family, close friends and comrades, and on his
writings and statements in court published in two collections: No Easy Walk to
Freedom (Heinemann) and The Struggle is My Life (IDAF). Part of the material
used was published in Nelson Mandela (Panaf Books, 1980). The descriptions of
life on Robban Island came partly from interviews with men who had served
sentences there.
Author
Mary Benson was born and educated in
Pretoria, South Africa. During the second World War she served in the South
African Women’s Army and was seconded to the British Army to become personal
assistant to British Generals in the Middle East, Algeria, Italy, Greece and
Vienna. From there she went to work among displaced persons in the Ruhr. Some
time later she became secretary to David Lean.
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