Nelson Mandela: A Biography

"It provides new perspective and insights into the man and his times. . . . [Meredith] is particularly good in recounting the parallel rise and inevitable clash of white Afrikaner and black African nationalism in this century . ..." --__The Washington Post__ "Meredith paints an insider's canvas of recent South African history as well as an epic tale of a freedom fighter." --__San Francisco Chronicle__ "[R]evealing insights, particularly into the contrast between the disciplined Mandela who emerged from prison and the impetuous figure of the late 1940's and early 1950's." --__The New York Times Book Review__ "Meredith carefully avoids adulation while tracing the course of Mandela's remarkable career. . . . [He] skillfully depicts Mandela's complex relationships with the close circle of white Communists who supported the African National Congress [and] writes vividly but unsentimentally about the tribulations and betrayals that racked Mandela's family. Nelson Mandela stands out as one of the most admired political figures of the twentieth century. It was his leadership and moral courage above all that helped to deliver a peaceful end to apartheid in South Africa after years of racial division and violence and to establish a fledgling democracy there. Martin Meredith's vivid portrayal of this towering leader was originally acclaimed as "an exemplary work of biography: instructive, illuminating, as well as felicitously written" (Kirkus Reviews), providing "new insights on the man and his time" (Washington Post). Now Meredith has revisited and significantly updated his biography to incorporate a decade of additional perspective and hindsight on the man and his legacy and to examine how far his hopes for the new South Africa have been realised. Published as South Africa celebrates 100 years since its founding and hosts the 2010 World Cup, Nelson Mandela is the most thorough and up-to-date account available of the life of its most revered hero Nelson Mandela stands out as one of the most admired political figures of the twentieth century. It was his leadership and moral courage above all that helped to deliver a peaceful end to apartheid in South Africa after years of racial division and violence and to establish a fledgling democracy there. Martin Meredith's vivid portrayal of this towering leader was originally acclaimed as'an exemplary work of biography: instructive, illuminating, as well as felicitously written'(Kirkus Reviews), providing'new insights on the man and his time'(Washington Post). Now Meredith has revisited and significantly updated his biography to incorporate a decade of additional perspective and hindsight on the man and his legacy and to examine how far his hopes for the new South Africa have been realized. Published as South Africa celebrates 100 years since its founding and hosts the 2010 World Cup, Nelson Mandela is the most thorough and up-to-date account available of the life of its most revered hero. Annotation "It provides new perspective and insights into the man and his times. ... [Meredith] is particularly good in recounting the parallel rise and inevitable clash of white Afrikaner and black African nationalism in this century . ..."--'The Washington Post' "Meredith paints an insider's canvas of recent South African history as well as an epic tale of a freedom fighter." - 'San Francisco Chronicle' "[R]evealing insights, particularly into the contrast between the disciplined Mandela who emerged from prison and the impetuous figure of the late 1940's and early 1950's." - 'The New York Times Book Review' "Meredith carefully avoids adulation while tracing the course of Mandela's remarkable career. ... [He] skillfully depicts Mandela's complex relationships with the close circle of white Communists who supported the African National Congress [and] writes vividly but unsentimentally about the tribulations and betrayals that racked Mandela's family." - 'The Los Angeles Times'