Sahm Venter – författare

I Remember Nelson Mandela is a collection of remembrances from those who worked with, for and beside Mandela. More than one hundred individuals, from household staff to bodyguards and presidential advisors, have offered their memories, which provide warm, poignant, and often humorous insights into what it was like behind the scenes with one of the most beloved political figures the world has seen. The collection is the dream-child of Mrs. Graça Machel who, some months after Nelson Mandela's passing on December 5, 2013, met with former members of his staff to thank them for their service. Listening to their stories inspired the creation of this book, providing readers with a glimpse into the man behind the title.

Arrested in 1962 as South Africa’s apartheid regime intensified its brutal campaign against political opponents, forty-four-year-old lawyer and African National Congress activist Nelson Mandela had no idea that he would spend the next twenty-seven years in jail. During his 10,052 days of incarceration, Mandela wrote hundreds of letters to unyielding prison authorities, fellow activists, government officials, and most memorably, to his wife Winnie and his five children.Now, 255 of these letters, the majority of which were previously unseen, provide the most intimate portrait of Mandela since Long Walk to Freedom. Painstakingly researched, authenticated and catalogued by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the letters have been drawn from the Foundation’s archive as well as from public and private collections held by the Mandela family and South African government archives.Mandela’s letters are organised chronologically and divided by the four prisons in which he was incarcerated. Each section opens with a short introduction to provide a historical overview of each of these periods and the collection features a foreword by Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela.Whether writing about the death of his son Thembi after a request to attend the funeral was ignored, providing unwavering support to his also-imprisoned wife or outlining a human-rights philosophy that resonates today, The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela reveals the heroism of a man who refused to compromise his moral values in the face of extraordinary human punishment. Ultimately, they confirm Mandela’s position among the most inspiring historical figures of the twentieth century.

First published to mark the centenary of Nelson Mandela's birth, The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela sparked celebrations around the globe. Featuring 94 letters selected from that landmark collection, as well as new introductory material and six new letters that have never been published, this historic paperback provides an essential political history of the late twentieth century and illustrates how Mandela maintained his inner spirit while imprisoned. Whether they are longing love letters to his wife, Winnie; heartrending notes to his beloved children; or articulations of a human-rights philosophy that resonates today, these letters reveal the heroism of a man who refused to compromise his moral values in the face of extraordinary human punishment, invoking a "story beyond their own words" (The New York Times).This new paperback edition—essential for any literature lover, political activist and student—positions Mandela amongst the most inspiring historical figures of the twentieth century.

»Hjärtslitande och inspirerande. Ger oss en direkt inblick i hur Nelson Mandela utvecklades till en av vår tids moraliska hjältar.« New York Times När Nelson Mandela, då 44-årig advokat och ANC-aktivist, arresterades av Sydafrikas apartheidregim 1962, anade han inte att han skulle tillbringa de kommande 27 åren i fängelse. Under dessa 10.052 dagar i trånga fängelseceller skrev Mandela hundratals brev till myndigheter, aktivister, regeringstjänstemän och till sin fru Winnie och sina fem barn. 255 av dessa brev - de flesta aldrig tidigare offentliggjorda - finns samlade i den här boken och ger ett intimt porträtt av Nelson Mandela. Fängelsebreven kommer med självklarhet ställas vid sidan av Den långa vägen till frihet [1994] som en omistlig dokumentation av en av 1900-talets mest inspirerande historiska personer. Breven är indelade efter de fyra olika fängelser där Mandela internerades, och varje del inleds med en introduktion som ger en historisk översikt. Bokens redaktör, journalisten och författaren Sahm Venter, har i decennier haft anti-apartheid-rörelsen som sitt främsta område. Förordet är skrivet av Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela, dotterdotter till Nelson Mandela och Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. I svensk översättning av Leif Janzon, Jan Ristarp, Gabriel Setterborg & Kjell Waltman. NELSON MANDELA [1918-2013] var en sydafrikansk advokat, politiker och statsman. Mandela var 1994-1999 den förste sydafrikanske president som valts i demokratiska val med rösträtt för hela befolkningen. 1993 tilldelades han Nobels fredspris. När han fängslades 1962, som aktiv och tongivande medlem av ANC (African National Congress), var det med hjälp av amerikanska underrättelsetjänsten CIA, som ända fram till 2008 stämplade Mandela som terrorist. »Häpnadsväckande. Eftersom Mandelas tankar och känslor här artikuleras i realtid får vi en ny lins genom vilken vi kan betrakta hans personliga och politiska utveckling. Mest av allt förklarar breven hur Mandela kunde överleva den tärande fängelsevistelsen med sin passion och sin integritet intakt.« Los Angeles Times »Ett oumbärligt, intimt porträtt av den store ledaren.« Kirkus Reviews »Nelson Mandelas brev berättar en historia bortom sina egna ord.« Tayari Jones, New York Times