Nelson Mandela began writing his autobiography in secret on Robben Island, where the manuscript was smuggled out in parts, and completed it after his release with help from the editor Richard Stengel. It was published in 1994, the year he became South Africa's first democratically elected president.
The book starts in the Transkei village of Qunu, where Mandela grew up as a member of the Thembu royal house, and follows him to Fort Hare University and Johannesburg, where he trained as a lawyer and opened the country's first Black law practice with Oliver Tambo. He describes joining the African National Congress, the Defiance Campaign, the Treason Trial, the turn to armed struggle and the Rivonia Trial that sent him to prison for life.
Long chapters on prison life show the daily humiliations of Robben Island, the friendships among prisoners, and the slow negotiations with the apartheid government that led to his release in 1990. Measured and reflective rather than bitter, it is essential reading on one of the twentieth century's defining political struggles.
Book details
| Author | Nelson Mandela |
|---|---|
| First published | 1994 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Type | Non-fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 656 |
| Setting | South Africa, 1918-1994 |
Themes
- Apartheid
- Resistance
- Imprisonment
- Reconciliation
- Leadership
Who should read it
Anyone wanting a first-hand account of the struggle against apartheid and the character of the man who led it.
If you liked this, try
- Born a Crime
- I Am Malala
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X