Madiba magic

On 18 July, Nelson Mandela would have been 100. These books celebrate the icon

THE PRISON LETTERS OF NELSON MANDELA

Edited by SAHM VENTER Liveright How did he do it? How did he spend 27 years in jail then walk free without any evident bitterness, preaching a message of reconciliation? This is the question people often ask about Nelson Mandela. This book, which is being hyped as the most intimate portrait of Madiba since Long Walk to Freedom, offers some clues.

During his incarceration he wrote hundreds of letters – to government officials, fellow activists, family members and unyielding prison officials. This anthology consists of 255 of these letters – many of which haven’t been publicly available before.

In the foreword his granddaughter Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela writes that the letters she finds most poignant are the ones that show what he went through as a father and husband. “As much as he tried to parent his children from prison, he couldn’t,” she says.

Ultimately what shines through in this book is the courage of a man who was determined to stick to his principles, no matter what.