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."--The Los Angeles Times

The acclaimed biography of the great South African statesman, by the author of The Fate of Africa

Martin Meredith is a journalist, biographer, and historian who has written extensively on Africa and its recent history. He is the author of many books including The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence; Mugabe: Power, Plunder, and the Struggle for Zimbabwe, and Mandela: A Biography. He lives near Oxford, England.