As Cartas da Prisão de Nelson Mandela

by Nelson Mandela

Preso em 1962, quando o regime do apartheid na África do Sul intensificava a sua campanha brutal contra os opositores políticos, o advogado e ativista do Congresso Nacional Africano Nelson Mandela, então com quarenta e quatro anos, não fazia a menor ideia de que passaria os vinte e sete anos seguintes na prisão. Durante os seus 10 052 dias de encarceramento, o futuro líder da África do Sul escreveu uma imensa quantidade de cartas às inflexíveis autoridades prisionais, a companheiros ativistas, a responsáveis governamentais e, acima de tudo, à sua corajosa mulher, Winnie, e aos cinco filhos.
Agora, no centenário do seu nascimento, 255 dessas cartas, muitas das quais nunca antes tornadas públicas, são compiladas num volume que as organiza cronologicamente, dividindo-as pelas quatro instituições prisionais por onde passou até à sua libertação, a 11 de fevereiro de 1990.
Ilustrado com reproduções de alguns dos seus escritos, este é um documento de um valor excecional para o conhecimento desta que foi uma das figuras mais inspiradoras do século XX, revelando-o como pai e marido extremoso, como um lutador incansável pelos direitos humanos e, acima de tudo, como homem de uma coragem imperturbável, que se recusou a comprometer os seus valores mesmo quando confrontado com um enorme sofrimento.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, South Africa, Africa, Politics, Memoir

752 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2018

About the author

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99.

Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. The South African courts convicted him on charges of sabotage, as well as other crimes committed while he led the movement against apartheid. In accordance with his conviction, Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island.

In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela.

Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela supported reconciliation and negotiation, and helped lead the transition towards multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, many have frequently praised Mandela, including former opponents. Mandela has received more than one hundred awards over four decades, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/nelson...

Reviews

[Donna Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This magnificent collection took 10 years to organize, collecting Madiba's letters from the many points where they were received, and from the prisons--where many of them were not mailed out, for various technical reasons that were a poor disguise for censorship. The preface suggests that most people will want to flip through it rather than reading it cover-to-cover, but I am a habitual cover-to-cover sort, and so I read the first 50 pages in sequence. And the book's editor is correct. This is not a cover-to-cover read.

Nevertheless, I am struck immediately by the dignity with which Mandela communicates with his captors. Time and again he writes to them in a courteous, civilized, and highly educated hand about the various ways in which his rights under South African law are being violated and what he is requesting they do to remedy it. He is persistent. He forces them to treat him as a human being. Mandela was an attorney, but he was also possessed of social instincts that nobody can teach anyone. And although I never met him, everything I have read--which is a good deal, where this man is concerned--convinces me that he was also a very nice person.

This is a tome, and it's a treasure. I am glad I was denied a galley because this is the sort of volume I want as a physical copy. In the end my son purchased it for me for my birthday, and so I thank Benjamin. What a treasure.

If you are looking for just one book about Mandela's life, read his hefty autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. However, if you are a collector of books about South Africa, or about civil rights in general, or of course, about Nelson Mandela, go out and get this book now.

[Zohal · Rating 5 out of 5]

First five-star book of 2019 and it's non-fiction. :)

There is something profoundly different reading the prison letters of Nelson Mandela versus when I read his autobiography. The difference is that this feels even more raw/real. It was not as though Nelson Mandela knew that his letters would ever be published.

I cannot get over his sheer determination. He stuck to his Law studies, which took him 45 years to complete because he was in prison during that time and suffered through a lot of health complications. I honestly felt like I gained new insight into Nelson Mandela just by the way he composes himself in his letters; determined, optimistic, respectful, uncompromising in his beliefs. There are a vast array of them, from those sent to his family, requests that he sent to commanding prison officers, requests he sent to the university he was studying at via correspondence and more.

Truly a visionary!

[TheBookWarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 Stars - The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela is not your traditional page turner. But what it is—A deep look into the psyche & goings on of a man locked away merely for fighting for some semblance of equality—It thrives in & makes no apologies, which is wonderful.

Deciding to read this as much as I could via topical order-Thus flipping through and finding all the letters that related to one topic—was a decision I greatly recommend others do. As the compiler/editor notes, the book is not designed to be read cover to cover.

The insights I gained reading these deeply personal and somewhat eery letters where nothing short of astounding, in all honesty if you don’t know much about NM you’re all the better for it here. Because what one learns from these letters, is exactly what level of a human being we are dealing with here, this is a man whom is on another level in terms of the way he treats others, the resolute strength and grit he was able to manifest each & every day, the courtesy & pride in which in he forever treated others (inc his oppressors) with nothing but the highest order of courtesy & endearment the sincerity of which will astound you.

What I learned in these letters was that Nelson Mandela was not just a civil rights activist, or even humanitarian... He was a humble, kind, tough, resolute, intellectual, Forward-thinking and above all else, a selfless leader whom never took a backward step in his ambition or character despite a multitude of daily reasons to do just that.

A grand insight seldom seen or read, well worth the time invested.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't honestly say that it was enjoyable to read this book. More accurate adjectives would be 'painful' and 'tedious,' which is perhaps inevitable given the circumstances in which these letter were written. But it was certainly valuable. I appreciated seeing the personal side of Mandela in his letters to his wife and other family, which vastly outnumber anything political. This is partly because he was forbidden from sending any political letters, just one of many draconian rules designed to subdue his energy for politics and justice. It is utterly amazing how positive he remains over the course of 24 years given his circumstances. The glimpses into the misery of daily existence on Robben Island - long hours spent crumbling rocks into pebbles with a hammer or pulling seaweed off rocks - are vastly overshadowed by the optimism and commitment displayed in the letters. At one point, he even talks about reading "The Power of Positive Thinking" and how people can control their own responses to their circumstances. Mandela was limited in the number of letters he was allowed to send, and every tenth letter or so, there is acknowledgement on his part that his letters were not being delivered. But still he wrote, and he copied all his letters by hand to keep a version. And something I did not know was that twice during his long prison stay he was offered release but refused because of the unfair terms of the offer. A truly inspirational figure.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many biographies on Nelson Mandela, but this book captures his inner spirit during his time in prison. The letters he wrote to the outside world show exactly how relevant Mandela was to not only his generation, but future ones.

[David Kenvyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary book, giving an insight into the man over the 27 years that he was imprisoned. It also gives an insight into the small-minded, petty, vicious officialdom of the prison regime of the apartheid state. There are basically four types of letter: those to friends and family, those to universities whose degree subjects he was studying, those to prison officials setting out their legal obligations to prisoners, and those dealing with the affairs of the Thembu Royal Family, of which Mandela was a member. The letters are all signed appropriately, depending on who he was writing to. Mandela was a man with many names. His birth name was Rolihlahla, his school name, given to him by his teacher, was Nelson. His circumcision, or adult name, was Dalibunga, and his clan title was Madiba. The letters are signed using any of these names, except Rolihlahla. He was also Tata (Dad) and Tatakhulu (Grandad).

The letters to his family, and especially to Winnie, are deeply personal and show the difficulty and frustration that he felt in trying to be supportive and to give guidance when he was in prison, and could not be of any effective help. They are full of compassion and concern, and express his horror at the levels of harassment to which she was subjected, which included physical attacks on her and her home, threats to the children, arrest, torture, solitary confinement, prosecutions and internal banishment. The letters to the children are more about their need to pursue their education, and quite remarkably he was as insistent upon the importance of education to the girls as well as the boys. He wrote to Makaziwe, his eldest daughter, by his first wife Evelyn, encouraging her in her wish to study mathematics, telling her that it is a difficult but important subject, and that it is good that she wishes to specialise in it. There are similar letters to Zenani and Zindiswe, his daughters by Winnie. The two boys, Themba and Makgatho, by his first wife, are advised against giving up their studies to earn money, which is advice that neither of them took, because of their financial responsibilities to the family.

The letters that are the most heartrending are the letters of thanks to the people who organised the funerals of his mother, Nosekeni, and his son, Themba. Mandela was refused permission to attend either funeral, and they happened within ten months of each other. This is an illustration of both the cruelty of the apartheid state, and of its fear of Nelson Mandela. They did not want to give him a public profile by letting him honour his dead.

The letters to the various ministers and officials of the apartheid state are a different matter entirely. They are dignified statements of the rights of prisoners, under the law, and insist that the law should be adhered to. They object to the petty whims and spitefulness of the prison officials being the basis on which the lives of the prisoners are governed. They are forceful assertions of human dignity, in the face of the arrogance and racism of the prison officials. There are complaints that letters have been withheld for long periods, that letters have been mangled by the censors, that letters have not been delivered. It has to be remembered that prisoners were not allowed to send or receive many letters in the first place, and that the failure to deliver many of the letters sent and received had a profound impact on relationships. This was especially the case when Winnie too was imprisoned and the children were effectively orphaned because they did not have access to either parent. If it is difficult to grasp the full impact of the malign viciousness of the apartheid state all you have to do is remember that this is just one instance.

The letters to various academic bodies are mainly about the difficulties of studying in prison. The lack of access to books on recommended reading lists was an obvious difficulty, especially as the prison authorities interfered in the access to books on what appears to be an arbitrary basis, even though Mandela was purchasing these books from his own funds, through Juta, a South African publisher and bookseller. Fortunately, the University of London and other academic bodies were much more understanding of Mandela’s predicament in this regard than the apartheid prison authorities and he eventually completed his law degree, in the late 1980s. [It may be significant that by the time he completed his law degree that Mandela was involved in “talks about talks” with Kobie Coetzee, the Minister of Justice and that there was a loosening of restrictions, but the letters do not indicate that].

The letters about the Thembu Royal Family, of which Mandela was a member of a cadet branch, show how seriously he took his position as a counsellor and show how much of a traditionalist he actually was. There are times when he fell out with members of the Thembu royalty, as when his nephew Kaiser Matanzima led the Transkei Bantustan into so-called “independence” which was a clear breach with ANC policy. He clearly sided with the King, Sabata Dalindyebo, who opposed the move. There are also surprises, like cordial letters to Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the leader of Inkatha (later the Inkatha Freedom Party). Mandela clearly regretted the breakdown in the relations between the ANC and Inkatha that occurred during the 1980s. One of the things that becomes clear is that Mandela looked back to his childhood in Mvezo and Qunu with fondness, and he recognised his debt to the Prince Regent, Jongintaba, who took on responsibility for his upbringing when Mandela’s father died. Another thing that becomes clear is that Mandela took his duty of initiating his sons and grandsons into manhood, through the rite of circumcision, very seriously and, even though he was in prison, he did his best to fulfil his responsibilities in this regard. This view of Mandela, as a traditionalist supporting the customs and ceremonies of the Xhosa, is not one that is generally recognised in the West.

I think that my favourite letter is one to Winnie in which he extols the importance of women leaders. He names a few of these female leaders – Isabella of Spain, Elizabeth of England and Catherine the Great of Russia, and then adds “how great she really was, I don’t know”. He also mentions the Batlokwa Queen Mantatisi, the enemy of Shaka, the Zulu King and Moshoeshoe, the Sotho King. He then says that all of these women gained their thrones through heredity. [This was certainly not the case with Catherine the Great who usurped the throne, murdered two of her predecessors (Peter III, her husband and Ivan VI, his cousin) and held power for 30 odd years, launching wars of aggression in which Poland was destroyed and annexed by agreement between its neighbours.] He then goes on to mention modern women rulers such as Indira Gandhi, Simone Weil and Margaret Thatcher and says of Britain “Despite the collapse of her world-wide Empire & her emergence from the Second World War as a 3rd-rate power, Britain is in many respects still the centre of the world. What happens there attracts attention from far & wide”. This is an assessment that we need to remember.

Why I like this letter is simple. It shows the range and depth of Mandela’s knowledge of history and the world in general. It shows his ability to make an accurate political assessment. It shows, through his praise of women leaders, how modern and forward thinking he could be. It also shows his humanity in his relation to his family, with the references to his daughter, Makaziwe, and to his son, Makgatho. It shows us the man.

One final thing to say about these letters: many of them were not delivered. If you want to know how afraid the apartheid state was of Mandela, even though they had him locked up in maximum security prisons, then the evidence is there in that simple fact. They did not dare to deliver many of these letters. They did not want him to communicate with the outside world. They did not understand that the very fact that he was there in prison was all that the outside world needed to know.

[Karen Berlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive collection of letters written by Nelson Mandela to family, friends, prison, government and academic officials, many of which were never sent/received, during his 27 year/life sentence as a political prisoner. Ranging from deeply personal greetings to his wife and children, condolences to friends and family, money, medical or academic requests, and advocacy for prisoner rights and needs, the signatures across all correspondence are his integrity, hope and steadfast perseverance in the pursuit of justice.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNF at 30%- not the kind of book to listen on audio but it did peak my curiosity about South Africa and the ANC. I admired Mandela’s strong spirit of endurance and positivity.

[Marie Fouhey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is both an interesting book and a tedious book to read, but I think that's the nature of collections of letters which are addressed to and reference people that the reader is unfamiliar with. Some of the letters are inspirational, for example those he addresses to prison officials that set forth the reasons for his incarceration or the ones he addresses to his wife during her various trials. The pettiness of the prison officials is incredible. He was limited in the number of letters he could send and receive; many letters he sent were never mailed; many letters that were sent to him he never received and those he did receive were frequently late or heavily censored. Many of his early letters are to his children who weren't allowed to visit him until they were 16. He was a strong proponent of education; studied law and language in prison and encouraged his children to excel academically. He seems to have been a warm, friendly man judging from the many letters he wrote to friends and to relatives of friends, reminiscing and asking about their wives and children. He always appears to be looking outward. I was surprised to see a reference to Massachusetts senator Paul Tsongas. Mandela had heard about Tsongas' cancer and regretted that his friend was ill. He mentions in one of the earlier letters he and Winnie only lived together 4 years - they would remain apart for at least another 20. An extraordinary man.

[Forest Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book and long :) I did my masters on South Africa but still learned a lot. Mandela was a symbol of hope and optimism during his 25+ years imprisonment.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book to read. Awed by what this great and humble man endured, not only to be free himself, but to lift free his people from evil practice of apartheid.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly difficult read because of the vast references to many many people. Footnotes throughout help keep their relevance

[Ricki · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few of these letters were very inspiring, but most were monotonous and it felt like this book could have been cut in half or more to make a more powerful impact.

[David Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a review of The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela in The Los Angeles Times, Bob Drogin writes: “As a Times correspondent in South Africa during the final violent spasms of the apartheid regime and the jubilant election of the country’s first black president in 1995, I noticed something about Nelson Mandela’s speeches.

“Mandela would get thunderous cheers when he took to the stage. Even from a distance, the world’s most famous former prisoner was instantly recognizable: taller and broader than most Africans, beaming his 1,00 -watt smile, and always sporting one ofd the flamboyant ‘madona’ shirts designed especially for him.

“But the crowd would go restless after Mandela began to s peak. He had a stilted, droning cadence that could turn an eloquent address into a reading from a telephone book. He invariably got more applause at the start than at the end.”

Drogin goes on to say that it was a relief for him to find this collection of Mandela’s prison letters engaging. For me, the early letters induce the same reaction of restlessness, disappointment and boredom as evidently did the speeches. Part of the problem may be the result of censorship by prison authorities, and perhaps there were infelicities in letters that had to be translated, but the overall effect of the early letters is flat and not at all engaging. Even his early letters to his wife and children have all the passion and interest of office memoranda.

Having acknowledged this discomfort with the early pages of this book (to the extent that I debated whether to continue), I would urge readers to hang in there up to page 82 and a perhaps pivotal letter to the Commissioner of Prisons making some requests. After that, for whatever reason, the letters open, deepen and become moving.

After his imprisonment, Mandela lost his mother and his firstborn son and learned that his wife was also imprisoned — all within 10 months. Remember the last time you grieved, and try to imagine that same shattering experience, alone, in a prison cell. (The book contains a photo of one of Mandela’s cells. There is no bed. He slept on the concrete floor, which was cold during winter. His head touched one wall, and his feet touched the other.)

In 1969, reflecting that at the time of his arrest and “trial” in 1962 he faced a possible death penalty, Mandela writes: “I am neither brave nor bold & since the days of my youth I have been stalked by the weakness of being anxious to live & be an eye-witness to the introduction of the radical developments for which my countrymen have fought so bravely in the course of the last three centuries.“

A central irony and agony of Mandela’s life is that just as he was struggling with the realization that his travels as an activist were critically affecting his family life, he was arrested and separated from his family on a long-term basis. His efforts to be a father and husband in absentia are the most moving aspect of the correspondence.

A reader has to be touched by the long-incarcerated Mandela’s attachment to memories of family, friends, fellow activists, and places, including places of his childhood. In a 1980 letter to his wife, he writes: “Again I miss you and even this pen I am using is full of nostalgic memories.”

Mandela is such a stickler for propriety that it’s a relief when he occasionally, though rarely, breaches tact, as when he writes: “I always get a shock when I see some of my friends in publications that are available here. Some seem to be feeding themselves 24 hours a day, so bloated they have become, while others look like sucked oranges.” Nelson!

A schadenfreude pleasure in reading this book is imagining how Mandela’s careful, articulate letters to prison authorities must have given them heartburn and fits.

Many, possibly most, of the letters never reached intended recipients. We should be grateful that Mandela wrote copies and that we have the privilege of reading this remarkable archive and testament to human conviction, perseverance and endurance. At a time when “OMG” and “awesome” have become knee-jerk responses to banalities, this is a book that genuinely and repeatedly touches and lifts the heart.

[Juan Quiroga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tres meses después, el libro ha llegado a su fin. Tengo muchas cosas positivas para destacar y rescatar. Un hombre que jamás bajó los brazos a pesar de las adversidades y obtuvo su recompensa luego de su calvario político. De a poco, incursionándome en un nuevo género: las autobiografías.

RESEÑA COMPLETA EN MI BLOG: https://lavidadeungamerprincipiante.b...

Muchas gracias a Malpaso & Cia por el ejemplar.

[Demetria Justablessing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of letters by Nelson Mandela during his incarceration show his continued strength, desire for fair treatment, and will to be the best he could be in all circumstances. It inspired the feeling that a human will always be who they are regardless of where they are and what is happening to them.

[Tristian Grenfell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading every letter was a lot to get through and tedious, but his attitude, intelligence, and never-ending hope are truly admirable. The historical significance of this collection is an honor to read.

[Mikie Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal historical collection. It's a bit hard to read letter after letter, but still a very interesting book.

[Irene Azuaje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente recopilación de su correspondencia, de verdad que compartes su desesperación y tristeza a través de estas líneas.

[Alessandro Fasanaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il titolo in traduzione italiana intende porre un parallelismo con le omonime ‘Lettere dal carcere‘ del nostro Antonio Gramsci. Gli accostamenti tra personalità di tempi e culture diversi non sono sempre da incoraggiare, soprattutto quando si vuol porre analogie che funzionano sotto certi aspetti e non su altri. Nella fattispecie, l’italiano fu una figura non solo politica, ma forse ancor prima intellettuale, apprezzata oggi più di ieri, per l’appunto, per quanto diede alla cultura; Nelson Mandela dal canto suo fu una figura non solo politica – quella non basterebbe mai – bensì carismatica, un simbolo di coraggio e resistenza contro ingiustizie e disuguaglianze destinato a diventare di portata universale, in unione trinitaria con Gandhi e Martin Luther King. Le differenze però si abbattono nella scrittura della prigionia, perché ciò che questa condizione fa soffrire agli uomini è sempre lo stesso ovunque e in ogni tempo, e anche perché le risposte che gli stessi uomini le rivolgono sono altrettanto simili.

Il volume, uscito in Italia – ed. Il Saggiatore – in contemporanea mondiale per celebrare il centenario della nascita dell’ex presidente del Sudafrica (1994–99) è decisamente corposo. Non ci saremmo attesi il contrario, visto che Madiba venne scarcerato nel 1990 dopo 27 anni di detenzione, in gran parte trascorsi nel famigerato carcere di Robben Island – in pratica un’altra Alcatraz. Eppure avrebbe potuto essere ancora più vasto, poiché ai detenuti politici, considerati più perniciosi degli assassini, veniva concesso di scrivere una sola lettera di non oltre 500 parole ogni sei mesi. A meno di evenienze particolarmente gravi: una di queste si concretizzò per Mandela nella morte del primogenito Thembi, causata da un incidente stradale avvenuto il 13 luglio 1969.

La perdita aggravò una situazione di per sé già terribile e di cui la raccolta darà ampia testimonianza. La lontananza dalla famiglia e l’impossibilità di veder crescere i propri figli danno linfa a molte delle lettere più commoventi. Altre si segnalano nel raccontare il Mandela politico, con le sue idee sullo stato delle cose nel suo paese e sul futuro. Alcune testimonieranno di una delle sue lotte meno conosciute eppur più sentite ovvero quella per il diritto allo studio: Mandela, pur costretto a sofferenze e umiliazioni, rimase tenace nel voler perseguire la laurea in giurisprudenza, ottenendola solo dopo la liberazione.

Per il resto, come spesso capita in operazioni del genere, ci si immerge in una gran copia di lettere prive di un vero e proprio significato al di là delle velleità di completezza. Spetterà al lettore selezionare quanto salvare, visto che gli editori, presi da troppa riverenza, non l’hanno fatto come da dovere. Nessun giudizio si dà a libri che affondano nel vissuto degli uomini e che si leggono per ammirazione di questi.

“Questa raccolta ha risposto a molti dei quesiti che un tempo mi sconcertavano: Come ha fatto mio nonno a sopravvivere a ventisette anni di carcere? Cosa gli ha consentito di andare avanti? Le risposte si trovano nelle sue parole”
(Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela)

[Anuj Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela" - A Profound Testament to Resilience, Hope, and Freedom

"The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela" offers readers a poignant and powerful glimpse into the indomitable spirit of one of the world's most revered leaders. Compiled from Nelson Mandela's correspondence during his 27-year incarceration, this collection of letters provides a rare and intimate insight into his thoughts, feelings, and struggles as he fought against the injustices of apartheid and imprisonment.

At the heart of the book is Mandela's unwavering commitment to justice and freedom. From the confines of his prison cell, Mandela penned letters to loved ones, fellow activists, and government officials, articulating his unwavering belief in the inherent dignity and equality of all people. His words are a testament to the power of hope and resilience in the face of oppression, offering solace and inspiration to those who fought alongside him in the struggle for freedom.

One of the most compelling aspects of "The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela" is Mandela's ability to find moments of grace and beauty amidst the harsh realities of prison life. Despite enduring decades of confinement and separation from his loved ones, Mandela's letters are imbued with a sense of optimism and humanity, reflecting his deep compassion for others and his unwavering faith in the eventual triumph of justice.

But perhaps the most profound aspect of the book is Mandela's reflections on forgiveness and reconciliation. Throughout his imprisonment, Mandela maintained a spirit of forgiveness towards his oppressors, believing that true freedom could only be achieved through reconciliation and understanding. His letters are a testament to the transformative power of forgiveness, offering a powerful example for people around the world.

In conclusion, "The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela" is a deeply moving and inspiring book that offers readers a rare glimpse into the heart and mind of one of history's greatest leaders. Nelson Mandela's words are a beacon of hope and courage, reminding us of the enduring power of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Whether you're a scholar of history or simply someone seeking inspiration and guidance, this book is sure to leave a profound and lasting impression.

[Shadira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nelson Mandela’s letters from prison seem to demand a spoiler alert. We know how this epic turns out – but the uncanny thing about reading this selection of close-written correspondence is the unavoidable sense that its author always knew the ending in advance, too.

Mandela was born a century ago this week. The conviction that his story would make history, that it would have a triumphant last act of truth and reconciliation, hardly ever appears to have faltered within him. Not when the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment at the end of the Rivonia trial in 1964. Not when the door slammed behind him aged 45 as prisoner 466/64 in an 8ft by 7ft cell on Robben Island, his home for 18 years. Not even when, in 1969, his eldest son, Thembi, was killed in a car crash – a tragedy that followed less than a year after the death of Mandela’s mother – and he was refused permission to attend the funeral (just as he had been his mother’s)



ven in the knowledge that he was often writing into darkness, he kept up that most reasonable and patient of voices – rarely acknowledging anger, even less despair. The philosophy of “living in truth” is more readily associated with that other great prison correspondent Václav Havel, the sense that power lay in acting as far as possible as if the hated regime did not exist. Mandela clearly understood the force of that idea. In his letters he is at pains to inhabit his roles as father and husband and son and uncle and friend, just as surely as if he were a free man. That tone, which implied an otherworldly patience, no doubt spooked his prison warders as much as anything.


As Mandela emphasises from time to time, it would have been a mistake to confuse that tone with the reality of his life on Robben Island, a large part of which involved sitting in the prison yard smashing rocks to gravel with a hammer. The letters were not a reflection of that world, they were his escape from it. For the duration of the time in which his sentences carefully unspooled through their clauses he could forget about that other life sentence. In 1976, 14 years after he was first imprisoned, he suggested, again to his wife, that the hours in which he wrote “were the only time I ever feel that some day in the future it’ll be possible for humanity to produce saints who will really be inspired in everything they do by genuine love for humanity”. Mandela’s written rhetoric was so seductive, even he was in thrall to it.

[Socrate · Rating 4 out of 5]

O serie de reglementări draconice care guvernează scrierea scrisorilor de către prizonierii politici din Africa de Sud și punerea lor în aplicare aleatorie de către gardienii răutăcioși au fost concepute pentru a controla cele mai prețioase aspecte ale sufletului unui prizonier – contactul lor cu cei dragi și știrile din lumea exterioară.

După ce deținuții politici au fost condamnați în instanță, aceștia au fost repartizați în închisoarea unde trebuia să-și ispășească pedeapsa. În cazul lui Nelson Mandela, viața sa de prizonier condamnat a început în închisoarea locală din Pretoria, după ce a primit o pedeapsă de cinci ani pe 7 noiembrie 1962 pentru că a părăsit țara fără pașaport și a incitat muncitorii la grevă. Deja prizonier, a fost adus înapoi în sala de judecată sub acuzația de sabotaj în 1963, iar la 12 iunie 1964 a primit o pedeapsă pe viață. Soția sa, Winnie Mandela, l-a vizitat în acea zi la Pretoria, iar câteva ore mai târziu, fără avertisment, el și șase dintre cei șapte camarazi condamnați cu el au fost duși din Pretoria pentru zborul lung cu o aeronavă militară către faimoasa închisoare de pe Insula Robben. Au sosit într-o dimineață de iarnă foarte rece, pe 13 iunie 1964. Spre deosebire de deținuții care au comis infracțiuni de drept comun, cum ar fi viol, tâlhărie și agresiune, care au fost clasificați ca gradul C și uneori gradul B la sosire, deținuții politici au fost repartizați în categoria D. Cea mai mică clasificare posibilă cu cele mai puține privilegii. Li se permitea doar un vizitator la fiecare șase luni și aveau dreptul să scrie și să primească o singură scrisoare de cinci sute de cuvinte la fiecare șase luni. Procesul de trimitere și primire a scrisorilor a fost atât de imprevizibil încât la șase ani după ce a fost închis, Mandela s-a întâlnit cu avocații săi pe Robben Island și a enumerat exemple de „comportament nerezonabil și vexator al autorităților”. El a spus că întreruperile corespondenței sale „indică o intenție și o politică deliberată din partea autorităților de a mă întrerupe și de a mă izola de toate contactele externe, de a mă frustra și demoraliza, de a mă face să disper și să-mi pierd orice speranță...

[Dayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book, I felt like America, at least, has climbed out of the depths of a South African kind of injustice. Then, I watched the documentary "Attica" about the worst prison takeover in the history of the United States. And then I thought, maybe we haven't yet come so far.

One thing is for sure, Nelson Mandela, was patient and persistent. He eventually got what he needed to feed his soul and educate himself, even if he was kept in prison from 1963 to 1990--three years short of 3 full decades.

His message and his methods were faultless--never belligerent. My heart did go out to him when his daughter wrote saying she hadn't heard from him, upset that this lack of attention, could be a sign, that her father might not care about her any more. Mandela realizes that his jailers have not forwarded his letters to her, but how can he explain that to his little girl. Such a small thing to have mailed, which would have been such a large thing to Mandela's young daughter.

I once was on an airplane with a white woman who worked in the South African government. When I asked about how things were going after Apartheid had ended and Mandela was released from prison. She told me, "Well, it's not like I'm ever going to join the ANC, if that's what you mean." (The ANC is the African National Congress and was instrumental in ending Apartheid.) OUCH! I thought!

Later in the flight when almost everyone was sleeping, I asked a black South African man, if it would be possible to change seats with him because I wanted to lay my head on the window. He was gong to read, anyway, so he said, "Sure." Later, I found a small amount of pleasure when I thought about my first seat partner waking up, only to find that she had an actual ANC member sitting next to her. Who knows, maybe he convinced her that the ANC doesn't actual undermine her Afrikan community. (Afrikans in South Africa, originally came from Holland and Germany and created a deep-seated hatred among those they colonized.)

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very impressive man. Nelson Mandela was in prison for 27 years with no idea when he would be released, but he never doubted that he and his compatriots would be released. This book contains a selection of the letters that he wrote while imprisoned. There were strict limits on the number of visitors he could have and who those visitors could be. Initially it was only one visitor every 6 months. There were also strict limits on the letters he could send and receive - how many letters, how long they were, who they were to/from, and their contents. That didn’t stop him from writing. He wrote to his wife to tell her how much he loved and missed her, and to try to provide moral support when she was experiencing challenges of her own. He wrote to his children and grandchildren telling them how much he loved them, and encouraging them to do well in school. He wrote to prison officials with attempts to improve the situation for his fellow prisoners and himself. He wrote to long-time friends and even to some people that he’d never met but had heard about. But he wasn’t allowed to write about politics. Collectively, these letters give the impression of someone who cared as much or more for others than for himself, someone who never gave up. Ultimately, he achieved his goals.

[Matt Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1969, arguably the worst of his 27 years of imprisonment for agitating against apartheid, Nelson Mandela's eldest son died in a traffic accident. Coming on the heels of his mother's untimely passing, Mandela could do nothing but write letters that both expressed his profound sadness and grief, and attempted to raise the spirits of his wife, ex-wife, and surviving children. That he is able to lift himself up out of depression is remarkable; but to concurrently to lift others out of their sadness? It's super-human.

Those letters – in addition to the dozens, hundreds of others he wrote to friends, family, fellow agitators, political leaders, prison officials, and supporter – are catalogued within "The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela." To read through them is to understand how and why Mandela evolved from activist, to negotiator, to political leader, to beloved world figure. You are hard-pressed to imagine yourself in his shoes – and hard-pressed to imagine anyone else similarly blessed with such an abundance of hope, patience, and wisdom.

[Surisaray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed “ Long Walk to Freedom “ and this book is just as good , Mandela is so proper and articulate in all of his letters, the ones addressed to his friends and family are full of advice on personal issues, demonstrating his care for them. It is however, sad to know that he ended up divorcing his wife after all the mutual love and support they gave each other, more so, under the hard circumstances that they both went through, his letters to her always begin with “my darling” and frases like “you are our pride and our joy” , so caring and loving. Letters to his children, encouraging them to apply themselves in their studies, suggesting books to read to nourish their minds, shows how important it was for him for his children to have a good education. Great book!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of letters written by Nelson Mandela during his incarcerations at Pretoria, Robben Island, Pollsmoor, and Victor Verster prisons. Some of the letters are to prison officials about conditions and treatment; some are to friends and others are to family members.
I hadn't had any idea how thick this book would be when I reserved the library copy. I've long been impressed with anything I've learned about Mandela. What stuck with me through this was his attention to detail and following up on lack of attention by others, along with his professional way of handling everything. He could be upset about something but that didn't give him the right to disrespect the person he was addressing.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading this book truly felt like being inside mandela's mind for 300 pages. to me, it humanised him, rather than just feeling like an outsider looking in with a very objective, detached perspective. at last i could see mandela the brilliant writer, the charismatic charmer, the resilient survivor, the devoted family man - all these facets of his character reveal themselves within the pages of these letters. it was also an excellent way of learning more about apartheid in south africa and the shocking conditions mandela endured for twenty seven years. while brutal, knowing what he went through only deepened my appreciation, respect and admiration for a man who has, in many ways, carried an entire movement on his shoulders from the confines of a prison cell.

[Trisha Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

After listening to this audiobook I am convinced Nelson Mandela was incredibly intelligent, grounded. He remained hopeful always and all his letters convey his belief in his goal. He often talks about education - both his own and his children's. He continues to study throughout his life in prison, and describes being without books as one of the worst things that can happen (letter to his daughters about their brave mummy when she gets arrested).

Good character development as Mandela becomes a feminist!

I am considering buying this book as a reference for how to write letters, pursue political goals, and remain hopeful.