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Author Mandela, Nelson, 1918-2013, author.

Title The prison letters of Nelson Mandela / edited by Sahm Venter ; foreword by Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela.

Publication Info. New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, A Division of W. W. Norton & Company, 2018.

Copies

Location Call No. Status
 Berlin-Peck Memorial Library - Biographies  92 BIOGRAPHY MANDELA    Check Shelf
 Bloomfield, Prosser Library - Adult Department  BIOG. MANDELA, N.    Storage
 Bristol, Main Library - Non Fiction  B MANDELA, NELSON    Check Shelf
 Canton Public Library - Adult Department  BIO MANDELA    Check Shelf
 East Hartford, Raymond Library - Adult Department  968.0609 MANDELA    Check Shelf
 Enfield, Main Library - Biographies  B MANDELA    Check Shelf
 Farmington, Barney Branch - Adult Department  B MANDELA, NELSON    Check Shelf
 Glastonbury, Welles-Turner Memorial Library - Adult Department  BIO MANDELA    DUE 08-31-20
 Granby, F.H. Cossitt Branch - Adult  B MANDELA, NELSON    Check Shelf
 Manchester, Whiton Branch - Non Fiction  B MANDELA, NELSON    Check Shelf

Edition First edition.
Description xv, 620 pages, [8] unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, (some color) map ; 25 cm
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages [574]-603) and index.
Contents Foreword / Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela -- Introduction -- A note on the letters -- Nelson Mandela's prison numbers -- Pretoria Local Prison, November 1962/May 1963 -- Robben Island Maximum Security Prison, May 1963/June 1963 -- Robben Island Maximum Security Prison, June 1964/March 1982 -- Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison, March 1982/August 1988 -- Tygerberg Hospital & Constantiaberg Mediclinic, August/December 1988 -- Victor Verster Prison, December 1988/February 1990 -- Supplementary information.
Summary "An unforgettable portrait of one of the most inspiring historical figures of the twentieth century, published on the centenary of his birth. 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, the future leader of South Africa wrote a multitude of letters to unyielding prison authorities, fellow activists, government officials, and, most memorably, to his courageous wife, Winnie, and his five children. Now, 255 of these letters, many of which have never been published, provide exceptional insight into how Mandela maintained his inner spirits while living in almost complete isolation, and how he engaged with an outside world that became increasingly outraged by his plight. Organized chronologically and divided by the four venues in which he was held as a sentenced prisoner, The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela begins in Pretoria Local Prison, where Mandela was held following his 1962 trial. In 1964, Mandela was taken to Robben Island Prison, where a stark existence was lightened only by visits and letters from family. After eighteen years, Mandela was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison, a large complex outside of Cape Town with beds and better food, but where he and four of his comrades were confined to a rooftop cell, apart from the rest of the prison population. Finally, Mandela was taken to Victor Verster Prison in 1988, where he was held until his release on February 11, 1990. With accompanying facsimiles of some of his actual letters, this landmark volume reveals how Mandela, a lawyer by training, advocated for prisoners' human rights. It reveals him to be a loving father, who wrote to his daughter, "I sometimes wish science could invent miracles and make my daughter get her missing birthday cards and have the pleasure of knowing that her Pa loves her," aware that photos and letters he sent had simply disappeared. More painful still are the letters written in 1969, when Mandela--forbidden from attending the funerals of his mother and his son Thembi--was reduced to consoling family members through correspondence. Yet, what emerges most powerfully is Mandela's unfaltering optimism: "Honour belongs to those who never forsake the truth even when things seem dark & grim, who try over and & over again, who are never discouraged by insults, humiliation & even defeat." Whether 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 punishment. Ultimately, these letters position Mandela as one of the most inspiring figures of the twentieth century"
Subject Mandela, Nelson, 1918-2013 -- Correspondence.
Mandela, Nelson, 1918-2013 -- Imprisonment.
Political prisoners -- South Africa -- Correspondence.
Anti-apartheid movements -- South Africa.
Government, Resistance to -- South Africa.
South Africa -- Politics and government -- 20th century.
HISTORY / Africa / General.
Mandela, Nelson, 1918-2013. (OCoLC)fst01899655
Political prisoners. (OCoLC)fst01069636
Presidents. (OCoLC)fst01075723
South Africa. (OCoLC)fst01204616
Genre/Form Records and correspondence. (OCoLC)fst01423917
Added Author Venter, Sahm, editor.
Dlamini-Mandela, Zamaswazi, 1979- writer of foreword.
Added Title Correspondence. Selections
ISBN 9781631491177 (hardcover)
1631491172 (hardcover)
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