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Winnie & Nelson
‘Gripping and profoundly moving’ DAMON GALGUT
‘Deft and operatic’ OBSERVER
From one of South Africa’s foremost nonfiction writers, a deeply researched, shattering new account of Nelson Mandela’s relationship with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Drawing on never-before-seen material, Steinberg reveals the fractures and stubborn bonds at the heart of a volatile and groundbreaking union, a very modern political marriage that played out on the world stage.
One of the most celebrated political leaders of the twentieth century, Nelson Mandela has been written about by many biographers and historians. But in one crucial area, his life remains largely untold: his marriage to Winnie. During his years in prison, Nelson grew ever more in love with an idealised version of his wife, courting her in his letters as if they were young lovers frozen in time. But Winnie, every bit his political equal, found herself increasingly estranged from her jailed husband ’ s politics. Behind his back, she was trying to orchestrate an armed seizure of power, a path he feared would lead to an endless civil war.
Jonny Steinberg tells the tale of this unique marriage – its longings, its obsessions, its deceits – turning the course of South African history into a page-turning political biography. Winnie & Nelson is a modern epic in which trauma doesn’t just affect the couple at its centre, but an entire nation. It is also a Shakespearean drama in which bonds of love and commitment mingle with timeless questions of revolution, such as whether to seek retribution or a negotiated peace. Told with power and tender emotional insight, Steinberg reveals how far these forever entwined leaders would go for one another, and also, where they drew the line. For in the end both knew theirs was not simply a marriage, but a contest to decide how apartheid should be fought.
‘Deft and operatic’ OBSERVER
From one of South Africa’s foremost nonfiction writers, a deeply researched, shattering new account of Nelson Mandela’s relationship with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Drawing on never-before-seen material, Steinberg reveals the fractures and stubborn bonds at the heart of a volatile and groundbreaking union, a very modern political marriage that played out on the world stage.
One of the most celebrated political leaders of the twentieth century, Nelson Mandela has been written about by many biographers and historians. But in one crucial area, his life remains largely untold: his marriage to Winnie. During his years in prison, Nelson grew ever more in love with an idealised version of his wife, courting her in his letters as if they were young lovers frozen in time. But Winnie, every bit his political equal, found herself increasingly estranged from her jailed husband ’ s politics. Behind his back, she was trying to orchestrate an armed seizure of power, a path he feared would lead to an endless civil war.
Jonny Steinberg tells the tale of this unique marriage – its longings, its obsessions, its deceits – turning the course of South African history into a page-turning political biography. Winnie & Nelson is a modern epic in which trauma doesn’t just affect the couple at its centre, but an entire nation. It is also a Shakespearean drama in which bonds of love and commitment mingle with timeless questions of revolution, such as whether to seek retribution or a negotiated peace. Told with power and tender emotional insight, Steinberg reveals how far these forever entwined leaders would go for one another, and also, where they drew the line. For in the end both knew theirs was not simply a marriage, but a contest to decide how apartheid should be fought.
576 pages, Paperback
Published August 2, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
June 6, 2023
Chances are, if Jonny Steinberg hadn’t been the author, I probably wouldn’t have read this book. I thought, incorrectly, that I already knew enough about Winnie and Nelson. I was very wrong.
Jonny Steinberg does not need to prove that he is a master in his field – I knew that the first time I picked up one of his books quite a few years ago. His attention to detail and rooting out facts and anecdotes that add much to the comprehension of a difficult and complicated subject is quite simply amazing.
Winnie has always been a disturbing individual in my eyes. She remains so, but with greater layers of understanding as to what made her the person she became. Nelson will probably become more controversial with time, and Steinberg’s book opens the door to a more profound round of the questioning of his legacy.
Perhaps on a wider scale, this book exposes the rot, deceit corruption and violence in politics, even when there’s a good story to tell. There’s no doubt that South Africa created Winnie and Nelson. In Winnie’s case, the violence of the apartheid government would forever colour her vision as would prison for her husband.
Winnie and Nelson were also humans – with desires and concerns like billions of others inhabiting this planet. Emotions would influence decisions, anger could get in the way of logic, as could love.
I don’t think that South Africa has moved very far beyond the concerns this country faced during the lives of the Mandelas and the Madikizelas. History is being painted with a very brush containing few strands. Steinberg’s book is an antidote to so many missing links.
I cannot end this gushing review without paying tribute to Eusebius McKaiser. I was at Love Books in Melville on May 24, 2023, to listen to Eusebius interview Jonny about this book. Eusebius was absolutely the right person to conduct the review – he had read the book, he understood it, he knew the context and the background intimately. The bookshop was packed. There were few in attendance, if any, who did not want to read the book after listening to the exchange between these two masters. RIP Eusebius, and Jonny, if you write a book about the mating habits of the common moth, I’ll buy it.
Jonny Steinberg does not need to prove that he is a master in his field – I knew that the first time I picked up one of his books quite a few years ago. His attention to detail and rooting out facts and anecdotes that add much to the comprehension of a difficult and complicated subject is quite simply amazing.
Winnie has always been a disturbing individual in my eyes. She remains so, but with greater layers of understanding as to what made her the person she became. Nelson will probably become more controversial with time, and Steinberg’s book opens the door to a more profound round of the questioning of his legacy.
Perhaps on a wider scale, this book exposes the rot, deceit corruption and violence in politics, even when there’s a good story to tell. There’s no doubt that South Africa created Winnie and Nelson. In Winnie’s case, the violence of the apartheid government would forever colour her vision as would prison for her husband.
Winnie and Nelson were also humans – with desires and concerns like billions of others inhabiting this planet. Emotions would influence decisions, anger could get in the way of logic, as could love.
I don’t think that South Africa has moved very far beyond the concerns this country faced during the lives of the Mandelas and the Madikizelas. History is being painted with a very brush containing few strands. Steinberg’s book is an antidote to so many missing links.
I cannot end this gushing review without paying tribute to Eusebius McKaiser. I was at Love Books in Melville on May 24, 2023, to listen to Eusebius interview Jonny about this book. Eusebius was absolutely the right person to conduct the review – he had read the book, he understood it, he knew the context and the background intimately. The bookshop was packed. There were few in attendance, if any, who did not want to read the book after listening to the exchange between these two masters. RIP Eusebius, and Jonny, if you write a book about the mating habits of the common moth, I’ll buy it.
June 19, 2024
I view this book (alongside ‘Country of my Skull’) as essential reading for any South African who wants to fully understand our country’s past, and how it continues to shape our future. Drawing on never before-seen transcriptions of Nelson’s conversations in prison, Steinberg masterfully uncovers the masks both Winnie and Nelson so carefully cultivated.
I value being able to see these two much-mythologised figures in a more honest light, even though it shatters the image I’ve had of Nelson since childhood: he was an actor, playing a part to safeguard our transition to democracy, but underneath so much of that is raw pain and anger, in a way which is far more understandable than the heroic icon we came to know.
Winnie has always been a more complicated figure. As her legacy continues to be re-written, this book helps us to place her actions in their full context - she suffered an indescribable amount under the apartheid regime. But ultimately, she channelled this pain into inciting and perpetrating more violence, at odds with everything her husband stood for in later life. However, it is her revolutionary mindset that has captured the hearts of many young South Africans who have become disenchanted with the ‘Rainbow nation’.
As the new generation grapples with their legacies, and how to move forward from our violent past, this book should undoubtedly be the first port of call.
I value being able to see these two much-mythologised figures in a more honest light, even though it shatters the image I’ve had of Nelson since childhood: he was an actor, playing a part to safeguard our transition to democracy, but underneath so much of that is raw pain and anger, in a way which is far more understandable than the heroic icon we came to know.
Winnie has always been a more complicated figure. As her legacy continues to be re-written, this book helps us to place her actions in their full context - she suffered an indescribable amount under the apartheid regime. But ultimately, she channelled this pain into inciting and perpetrating more violence, at odds with everything her husband stood for in later life. However, it is her revolutionary mindset that has captured the hearts of many young South Africans who have become disenchanted with the ‘Rainbow nation’.
As the new generation grapples with their legacies, and how to move forward from our violent past, this book should undoubtedly be the first port of call.
October 14, 2023
Take a deep breath. This is a book for our times - times of deep division and trouble, where the personal is political and the political is deeply personal. It is huge in the physical sense. Emotionally it is even bigger than that. It traces the love and pain of a couple from the most intimately personal to the biggest stages of the world. A world where the boundaries of what is fair in love and war have become blurred and drenched in blood and tears. And yet there is an abiding hope and ambition for love and justice and progress.
If you are not familiar with South African history, this is a powerful entry point into one of the parts of the world that most powerfully manifests human division and cruelty as well as our capacity for change and growth. And it explores the universal theme: what great public figures and their families lose when they give their all to a public cause. How the Madikizela and Mandela families were both blessed and blighted by their most famous daughter and son.
If you are familiar with SA history, read the book not just for a deeper insight into the nation’s most significant couple but also a deep, nuanced oncovering of the country’s story with many facts you are unlikely to have known before.
I loved all the detail about the human beings behind the public legends of Winnie Madikizela Mandela and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. It’s clear how powerful they both were as individuals and in their communities long before they got together or became politically well known in the world.
The book is meticulous, detailed and filled with both photographs and sensitive pen-pictures of their huge lives and times. Steinberg pays particular attention to aspects of their personalities, environment and backgrounds that might inform their later trajectory, such as
* How Nelson was initially raised largely as an orphan, while Winnie spent most of her youth in loco parentis for her younger siblings after her mother’s death
* How much the young man was beset with self doubt, and the young woman felt she needed more than to impress but to dazzle her father
* The impact of colonial conquest on the amaThembu and then the way their conquerors “educated” them while inculcating myths of white superiority
* How strong the patriarchy was in all parts of the divided South Africa and in the decolonisation movements across the continent and how this systemic inequity intertwined with racism
* How Winnie’s family survived by partnering with the Christian movement which was of course associated with the colonisers.
Ultimately Steinberg sees the roots of Mandela’s warmth and charm in his personal neediness, wanting to be seen. And in the end I think he does agree with the view that the evil of apartheid somehow was implanted into Winnie in the way she ended up harbouring spies, torturing comrades and sponsoring unmanaged violence.
His perspective on their marriage tries to be respectful of its context:
He also shocks me with the revelation of just how “modern” a couple they were – how many lovers they each had before, during and after their marriage. And how much they both knew about the extremities of bed-hopping that were going on. It is hard to imagine how they carried on so powerfully in public with so much private pain eating away at them.
Steinberg unearths some details of history that made me rethink the traditional narrative of the ANC’s pathway from the Satyagraha-like nonviolent Defiance Campaign of the 1950s to the launch of the armed struggle in 1961. I never knew about the Duncan Village massacre or the ANC’s zig-zag path to multiracialism (of which I was a beneficiary). And it is fascinating to hear that in the midst of that crucial maelstrom, Walter Sisulu was smuggled out of South Africa and managed to meet the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party who apparently cautioned him about the unmanageable destruction that a turn to violence can bring. Imagining what CCP leaders said to an ANC leader just before both the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the launch of Umkhonto we Sizwe in South Africa feels like eavesdropping on a massive global turning point.
An extremely complex issue Steinberg explores is the real motivation for Mandela’s famous generosity towards his former oppressors. In this I believe he is writing particularly for the younger generation of South Africans who see Mandela as a sellout. What Steinberg says of one of the examples of statesmanlike forgiveness is
Yet, with all the careful reflection on both of these larger-than-life figures of the twentieth century, there are aspects of their story that are reinforced and not trashed. For example the story of how the Mandelas and his jailer navigated an opportunity for him to hold his granddaughter in his arms on Robben Island
It takes great courage to write this book. For me the author does well to hold an overall love and care for Winnie and Nelson, and for the people whose liberation they lived and died for. He is conscious and aware of the impact of being a white man writing about black people. And in my opinion he also gives depth and weight to a range of opinions about the history of their time, including those who criticise Nelson Mandela as a sellout and those who write off Winnie Madikizela Mandela as a monster.
I came away feeling tuned into the depth and complexity of their personal and our collective political struggle - that it was and is messier than any of us would have liked, and nobody comes up entirely smelling of roses. And I remain deeply admiring of this extraordinary partnership that endured decades of all kinds of deprivation, diminishment and torture and still retained a strong direction towards the liberation of all South Africans into a world of equity and opportunity.
If you are not familiar with South African history, this is a powerful entry point into one of the parts of the world that most powerfully manifests human division and cruelty as well as our capacity for change and growth. And it explores the universal theme: what great public figures and their families lose when they give their all to a public cause. How the Madikizela and Mandela families were both blessed and blighted by their most famous daughter and son.
If you are familiar with SA history, read the book not just for a deeper insight into the nation’s most significant couple but also a deep, nuanced oncovering of the country’s story with many facts you are unlikely to have known before.
I loved all the detail about the human beings behind the public legends of Winnie Madikizela Mandela and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. It’s clear how powerful they both were as individuals and in their communities long before they got together or became politically well known in the world.
The book is meticulous, detailed and filled with both photographs and sensitive pen-pictures of their huge lives and times. Steinberg pays particular attention to aspects of their personalities, environment and backgrounds that might inform their later trajectory, such as
* How Nelson was initially raised largely as an orphan, while Winnie spent most of her youth in loco parentis for her younger siblings after her mother’s death
* How much the young man was beset with self doubt, and the young woman felt she needed more than to impress but to dazzle her father
* The impact of colonial conquest on the amaThembu and then the way their conquerors “educated” them while inculcating myths of white superiority
* How strong the patriarchy was in all parts of the divided South Africa and in the decolonisation movements across the continent and how this systemic inequity intertwined with racism
* How Winnie’s family survived by partnering with the Christian movement which was of course associated with the colonisers.
Ultimately Steinberg sees the roots of Mandela’s warmth and charm in his personal neediness, wanting to be seen. And in the end I think he does agree with the view that the evil of apartheid somehow was implanted into Winnie in the way she ended up harbouring spies, torturing comrades and sponsoring unmanaged violence.
His perspective on their marriage tries to be respectful of its context:
This is how the revolutionaries of the mid-twentieth-century South Africa joined the struggle: in married couples, the baggage each union carried bursting at the seams, the distribution of burdens lopsided.I think he does well to own and acknowledge just how much the mores of the time allowed Nelson as a father to get away without really taking on the full role of fatherhood or householder.
He also shocks me with the revelation of just how “modern” a couple they were – how many lovers they each had before, during and after their marriage. And how much they both knew about the extremities of bed-hopping that were going on. It is hard to imagine how they carried on so powerfully in public with so much private pain eating away at them.
Steinberg unearths some details of history that made me rethink the traditional narrative of the ANC’s pathway from the Satyagraha-like nonviolent Defiance Campaign of the 1950s to the launch of the armed struggle in 1961. I never knew about the Duncan Village massacre or the ANC’s zig-zag path to multiracialism (of which I was a beneficiary). And it is fascinating to hear that in the midst of that crucial maelstrom, Walter Sisulu was smuggled out of South Africa and managed to meet the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party who apparently cautioned him about the unmanageable destruction that a turn to violence can bring. Imagining what CCP leaders said to an ANC leader just before both the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the launch of Umkhonto we Sizwe in South Africa feels like eavesdropping on a massive global turning point.
An extremely complex issue Steinberg explores is the real motivation for Mandela’s famous generosity towards his former oppressors. In this I believe he is writing particularly for the younger generation of South Africans who see Mandela as a sellout. What Steinberg says of one of the examples of statesmanlike forgiveness is
Forgiveness seldom wears its deepest motivation on its sleeve. It is hardly a sign that the anger preceding it has vanished: rather, it has been reworked into … the desire to avenge.
Yet, with all the careful reflection on both of these larger-than-life figures of the twentieth century, there are aspects of their story that are reinforced and not trashed. For example the story of how the Mandelas and his jailer navigated an opportunity for him to hold his granddaughter in his arms on Robben Island
in that [moment] resides an ancient kernel of friendship – making oneself vulnerable to another, offering him one’s trust.
It takes great courage to write this book. For me the author does well to hold an overall love and care for Winnie and Nelson, and for the people whose liberation they lived and died for. He is conscious and aware of the impact of being a white man writing about black people. And in my opinion he also gives depth and weight to a range of opinions about the history of their time, including those who criticise Nelson Mandela as a sellout and those who write off Winnie Madikizela Mandela as a monster.
I came away feeling tuned into the depth and complexity of their personal and our collective political struggle - that it was and is messier than any of us would have liked, and nobody comes up entirely smelling of roses. And I remain deeply admiring of this extraordinary partnership that endured decades of all kinds of deprivation, diminishment and torture and still retained a strong direction towards the liberation of all South Africans into a world of equity and opportunity.
February 3, 2024
Sometimes it's a bad idea (and a good idea) to read well-researched books about people whose names and reputations we hold in reverence.
To discover that Mandela wasn't really the great statesman we've all been led to believe, but just an actor playing a role, and throwing his weight around to cover up for his wife's decades-long transgressions, her "miasma of scandal, arrogance, ambition, lies, and unbridled gangsterism" is more than a little heartbreaking and disconcerting.
As for the writing, I'm not quite sure how it has happened, but nearly 500 pages of tales that should have been riveting and suspenseful ended up being dry and a bit of a chore to wade through.
To discover that Mandela wasn't really the great statesman we've all been led to believe, but just an actor playing a role, and throwing his weight around to cover up for his wife's decades-long transgressions, her "miasma of scandal, arrogance, ambition, lies, and unbridled gangsterism" is more than a little heartbreaking and disconcerting.
As for the writing, I'm not quite sure how it has happened, but nearly 500 pages of tales that should have been riveting and suspenseful ended up being dry and a bit of a chore to wade through.
October 24, 2023
Wow, this was incredibly written, both fascinating and harrowing. I struggled to put it down
August 10, 2023
The temptation to believe, especially as a lover and reader of SA history, that there isn't much more to say about Winnie and Nelson, made this an unlikely read. It was unlikelier because of my long-standing gripe about Jonny Steinberg's style of writing - his method, and, to my mind, occasional sleight of hand in matters where visibility of sources is critical.
Yet this book is an enduring success, an immense contribution to historiography of South Africa's foundational eminence, and a bracing read. The rigor of its research, the magnificent depth of Steinberg's investigations, tearing through layer upon layer of elaborately settled history, to reveal and to retell an account he has clearly been thinking about for a long time, makes this a weighty and important read. It is also highly readable, made even more so by his ability to use sources that allow verbatim re-telling of history.
His attempts to investigate the contemporary relevance of Mandela, and his perspective on the new Mandela myths is fascinating. Perhaps he exaggerates the dissipation of the "Mandela myth" for effect - amplifying Winnie's Stratcom narrative - but provides a useful hook to hang some of the Mandela skepticism that abounds in SA's contemporary discourse.
Mostly, however, it is a painfully sad story of just how successfully the brutal architects of Apartheid snuffed out Black life not just on the streets, in the schools, in sport, in popular media, but also the life that thrived in its greatest luminaries. The Mandela myth we clung to, very much because he would have wanted us to, and because it served deeply pragmatic national goals - pulling a country from the brink of immense savagery - belies the tragic toll it took on a marriage, on the greatest scion of South Africa's greatest generation. Nothing can replace what South Africa has lost. This book attempts in painstaking and beautifully told detail, to at least adduce to a necessary accounting of that loss.
Yet this book is an enduring success, an immense contribution to historiography of South Africa's foundational eminence, and a bracing read. The rigor of its research, the magnificent depth of Steinberg's investigations, tearing through layer upon layer of elaborately settled history, to reveal and to retell an account he has clearly been thinking about for a long time, makes this a weighty and important read. It is also highly readable, made even more so by his ability to use sources that allow verbatim re-telling of history.
His attempts to investigate the contemporary relevance of Mandela, and his perspective on the new Mandela myths is fascinating. Perhaps he exaggerates the dissipation of the "Mandela myth" for effect - amplifying Winnie's Stratcom narrative - but provides a useful hook to hang some of the Mandela skepticism that abounds in SA's contemporary discourse.
Mostly, however, it is a painfully sad story of just how successfully the brutal architects of Apartheid snuffed out Black life not just on the streets, in the schools, in sport, in popular media, but also the life that thrived in its greatest luminaries. The Mandela myth we clung to, very much because he would have wanted us to, and because it served deeply pragmatic national goals - pulling a country from the brink of immense savagery - belies the tragic toll it took on a marriage, on the greatest scion of South Africa's greatest generation. Nothing can replace what South Africa has lost. This book attempts in painstaking and beautifully told detail, to at least adduce to a necessary accounting of that loss.
November 27, 2023
On a recent trip to South Africa to visit my sister, she gifted me a signed copy of this book. I have read many, many Mandela-related tomes over the years, and I've been privileged to visit Robben Island and the house on Vilakazi Street in Soweto. I wondered what there could possibly be left to learn. A whole lot, it turns out! This paints Winnie and Nelson as three-dimensional beings, instead of the caricatures that have been drawn of them over the years. Journalist Steinberg was able to access the archive compiled by the apartheid-era director of prisons--including recordings of every conversation Nelson had over decades--which were hidden from the general public until recently.
July 7, 2025
a long walk to freedom left me with so many questions: what was every other anti apartheid organizer doing while nelson was in prison? what was winnie up to that whole time? why was nelson so so defensive about his negotiations from prison? what did nelson's comrades actually think of that telling? this book added so much color and context to the struggle that felt sorely missing from madiba's autobiography -- the apartheid regime's widespread use of torture, surveillance, banning orders, the true scale of the repression and the violence, how winnie nearly lost the plot in her righteous rage, the mechanisms through which nelson became the face of the movement after nearly fading into obscurity, and how very human and flawed winnie and nelson were beyond their political personas and beyond their own unreliable narrations. a huge story handled with so much care and love and humanity. grateful.
December 31, 2025
A really thorough and interesting account of Winnie and Nelson. At the end, the author says the aim of the book is to 'restore the image of both Winnie and Nelson Mandela as people who suffered and grew furiously angry' and I think the book does just that. Winnie and Nelson are humanised so well in this book and you can't but help feel extreme sympathy, sorrow, and yet deep respect for how their lives played out.
April 3, 2024
Read as a jury for a the Booktube
My Ranking - 4th out of 6 books
Rating - 4.5 stars
NPS - 9 (Promoter)
“I was not going… [to] be known as Mandela’s wife,” Winnie said towards the end of her life, and that very often seemed her primary goal. Mandela was a realist; she was a fantasist. Mandela dissembled when he needed to; Winnie dissembled because it was in her nature. Mandela had an extraordinary filter; she often had none. He was in many ways a natural small “c” conservative; she was a rebel who often seemed to want to burn things down rather than change them.
Such a good read, I liked reading this book because of its writing and the research that has gone into Nelson Mandela’s and Winnie Madikizela’s personal and professional lives.
It may seem like a tabloid at first, but what the author tries to show is an honest portrait of a political marriage that is in the fore front of the country’s need for freedom.
An insightful read, I recommend if you are interested in South Africa’s struggles.
My Ranking - 4th out of 6 books
Rating - 4.5 stars
NPS - 9 (Promoter)
“I was not going… [to] be known as Mandela’s wife,” Winnie said towards the end of her life, and that very often seemed her primary goal. Mandela was a realist; she was a fantasist. Mandela dissembled when he needed to; Winnie dissembled because it was in her nature. Mandela had an extraordinary filter; she often had none. He was in many ways a natural small “c” conservative; she was a rebel who often seemed to want to burn things down rather than change them.
Such a good read, I liked reading this book because of its writing and the research that has gone into Nelson Mandela’s and Winnie Madikizela’s personal and professional lives.
It may seem like a tabloid at first, but what the author tries to show is an honest portrait of a political marriage that is in the fore front of the country’s need for freedom.
An insightful read, I recommend if you are interested in South Africa’s struggles.
June 29, 2023
Over Nelson las ik al het een en ander, maar Winnie bleef meestal behoorlijk onderbelicht. En dat is met deze biografie rechtgezet. Portret van een huwelijk, is de ondertitel. Wat een huwelijk. Alleen het begin al. Hij was nog getrouwd, zij hield er een ander vriendje op na, want je wist maar nooit. Dan stiekem in een klein dorp, ver van alles, trouwen en een jaar later door een flinke gevangenisstraf van elkaar gescheiden raken.
Voor de liefhebbers van roddelblaadjes: er wordt nogal eens buiten het potje gepist. Nelson voordat hij opgesloten raakte, Winnie daarna, ze kon slecht alleen zijn. Niet het belangrijkste gegeven van dit boek, ook al gaat het over hun huwelijk. Want eigenlijk was hun relatie vanaf het begin er een voor de buitenwereld, met politiek als gemeenschappelijk thema. En dat maakt het een stuk interessanter om te lezen, dit is de reden dat hun huwelijk iedereen aangaat.
De jaren dat Mandela op Robben eiland zit, kabbelen. Zo leest het boek ook de eerste helft. Maar er rommelt veel onderhuids in het land. Winnie wil de rol van Nelson overnemen, heeft haar eigen aanvaringen met justitie, wordt verbannen naar het platteland, allemaal bekende gegevens wie het nieuws volgde of al een biografie van Nelson las.
Het wordt boeiend als in de jaren tachtig het regime doorheeft dat Apartheid nooit vol te houden is. Maar praten met ANC leiders die gevlucht zijn, is erg lastig. Tegelijkertijd is het simpel om met een vastgezette leider te praten. In het geheim vinden er dus veel gesprekken plaats met Mandela. In de tussentijd gaat er van alles mis in het land, opstanden, stakingen, geweld en de rol van Winnie wordt daarin groter, maar ook onduidelijker. Hoe groot is haar invloed daadwerkelijk?
En hoe beïnvloedt haar rol zijn leven? In de begintijd van zijn gevangenschap was het vooral de geheime dienst die al dan niet direct er voor zorgde dat Nelson wist dat zijn vrouw vreemd ging. Daarbij is het natuurlijk erg lastig om te weten wat er daadwerkelijk gebeurt buiten de muren van een maximum security prison. Winnie bracht natuurlijk ook gekleurd nieuws tijdens haar schaarse bezoeken. Deels om hem te beschermen, deels uit eigenbelang. Daarbij is de wereld in de jaren tachtig een heel andere dan die in de jaren zestig toen hij werd vastgezet.
Niet alleen de noten achterin, maar van elke bladzijde heb je de indruk dat de schrijver erg veel moeite heeft gedaan om heel veel bronnen te gebruiken. Maar soms geeft hij ook gewoon toe dat hij het niet zeker weet, dat het een interpretatie is of dat de enige bronnen over een bepaalde gebeurtenis niet de meest betrouwbare zijn. Dus krijg je een genuanceerd beeld, maar nooit een compleet en perfect beeld. Zoals geschiedenis is natuurlijk, dat is geen verwijt, maar een compliment.
Meer en meer begrijp ik zijn leven, maar vooral begrijp ik Winnie beter. De scheiding niet lang na zijn vrijlating kan nooit een verrassing zijn als je dit hebt gelezen. De tijd na zijn vrijlating wordt overigens maar kort aan het eind even meegenomen. Het boek zou onmogelijk dik zijn geworden. Wel bijzonder is dat een kwart eeuw later de waardering voor Nelson onder de jeugd blijkt te zijn afgevlakt. Niet verrassend, de man werd door de hele wereld als een held gezien, terwijl hij een bejaarde man was die president werd van een land waar hij net bijna drie decennia had vastgezeten, een onmogelijke taak. Wel verrassend is dat de jeugd de rol van Winnie positiever bekijkt, zij heeft veel over haar heen gekregen, inclusief rechtszaken, een beeld dat ze bij leven nooit meer heeft kunnen rechtzetten. Het nawoord is misschien wel een heel klein beetje rehabilitatie, al is de schrijver te nauwgezet om woorden van die strekking zelf te gebruiken.
Erg boeiend boek, veel, voor mij, nieuwe informatie. En daar lees je het toch voor.
Citaat: “’Hij was een diep gekwetste man,’ zei ze botweg. ‘Hij was een van de treurigste mensen die ik heb gekend. Van tijd tot tijd voelde je het uit hem opwellen. Het was een combinatie van verdriet en woede, hevige woede. Het moet ijzeren discipline hebben vereist om dat niet te laten merken. Het kwam zonder woorden, het vaakst als we ons in een menigte bevonden. Dan stopte hij met zwaaien. Er was alleen stilte, een nare, beangstigende stilte, en een bijna ondraaglijke triestheid.’” (p.469)
Voor de liefhebbers van roddelblaadjes: er wordt nogal eens buiten het potje gepist. Nelson voordat hij opgesloten raakte, Winnie daarna, ze kon slecht alleen zijn. Niet het belangrijkste gegeven van dit boek, ook al gaat het over hun huwelijk. Want eigenlijk was hun relatie vanaf het begin er een voor de buitenwereld, met politiek als gemeenschappelijk thema. En dat maakt het een stuk interessanter om te lezen, dit is de reden dat hun huwelijk iedereen aangaat.
De jaren dat Mandela op Robben eiland zit, kabbelen. Zo leest het boek ook de eerste helft. Maar er rommelt veel onderhuids in het land. Winnie wil de rol van Nelson overnemen, heeft haar eigen aanvaringen met justitie, wordt verbannen naar het platteland, allemaal bekende gegevens wie het nieuws volgde of al een biografie van Nelson las.
Het wordt boeiend als in de jaren tachtig het regime doorheeft dat Apartheid nooit vol te houden is. Maar praten met ANC leiders die gevlucht zijn, is erg lastig. Tegelijkertijd is het simpel om met een vastgezette leider te praten. In het geheim vinden er dus veel gesprekken plaats met Mandela. In de tussentijd gaat er van alles mis in het land, opstanden, stakingen, geweld en de rol van Winnie wordt daarin groter, maar ook onduidelijker. Hoe groot is haar invloed daadwerkelijk?
En hoe beïnvloedt haar rol zijn leven? In de begintijd van zijn gevangenschap was het vooral de geheime dienst die al dan niet direct er voor zorgde dat Nelson wist dat zijn vrouw vreemd ging. Daarbij is het natuurlijk erg lastig om te weten wat er daadwerkelijk gebeurt buiten de muren van een maximum security prison. Winnie bracht natuurlijk ook gekleurd nieuws tijdens haar schaarse bezoeken. Deels om hem te beschermen, deels uit eigenbelang. Daarbij is de wereld in de jaren tachtig een heel andere dan die in de jaren zestig toen hij werd vastgezet.
Niet alleen de noten achterin, maar van elke bladzijde heb je de indruk dat de schrijver erg veel moeite heeft gedaan om heel veel bronnen te gebruiken. Maar soms geeft hij ook gewoon toe dat hij het niet zeker weet, dat het een interpretatie is of dat de enige bronnen over een bepaalde gebeurtenis niet de meest betrouwbare zijn. Dus krijg je een genuanceerd beeld, maar nooit een compleet en perfect beeld. Zoals geschiedenis is natuurlijk, dat is geen verwijt, maar een compliment.
Meer en meer begrijp ik zijn leven, maar vooral begrijp ik Winnie beter. De scheiding niet lang na zijn vrijlating kan nooit een verrassing zijn als je dit hebt gelezen. De tijd na zijn vrijlating wordt overigens maar kort aan het eind even meegenomen. Het boek zou onmogelijk dik zijn geworden. Wel bijzonder is dat een kwart eeuw later de waardering voor Nelson onder de jeugd blijkt te zijn afgevlakt. Niet verrassend, de man werd door de hele wereld als een held gezien, terwijl hij een bejaarde man was die president werd van een land waar hij net bijna drie decennia had vastgezeten, een onmogelijke taak. Wel verrassend is dat de jeugd de rol van Winnie positiever bekijkt, zij heeft veel over haar heen gekregen, inclusief rechtszaken, een beeld dat ze bij leven nooit meer heeft kunnen rechtzetten. Het nawoord is misschien wel een heel klein beetje rehabilitatie, al is de schrijver te nauwgezet om woorden van die strekking zelf te gebruiken.
Erg boeiend boek, veel, voor mij, nieuwe informatie. En daar lees je het toch voor.
Citaat: “’Hij was een diep gekwetste man,’ zei ze botweg. ‘Hij was een van de treurigste mensen die ik heb gekend. Van tijd tot tijd voelde je het uit hem opwellen. Het was een combinatie van verdriet en woede, hevige woede. Het moet ijzeren discipline hebben vereist om dat niet te laten merken. Het kwam zonder woorden, het vaakst als we ons in een menigte bevonden. Dan stopte hij met zwaaien. Er was alleen stilte, een nare, beangstigende stilte, en een bijna ondraaglijke triestheid.’” (p.469)
August 19, 2023
Bij het zien van de schitterende cover van Winnie & Nelson van Jonny Steinberg zullen veel mensen meteen weten wie het echtpaar op de cover is. Vooral de 'oudere' lezers en gekleurde mensen weten dat meteen. De titel spreekt voor zichzelf, je weet meteen over wie het boek gaan. De subtitel geeft goed aan wat je van het boek kunt verwachten. Het gebeurt niet vaak dat een cover van een vertaald boek mooier is dan de cover van het originele boek, maar in dit geval is de Nederlandse cover mooier dan het origineel. Je bent blij dat men voor deze cover heeft gekozen waarbij de arm van Nelson Mandela niet door tweeën is gesplitst en de gezichten van het echtpaar Mandela helemaal op de cover staan. De foto's in het boek maken het boek compleet. Als er al een minpunt van dit boek is, dan is het dat er te weinig foto's in staan, er hadden wel wat meer foto's in mogen staan, maar het is te begrijpen dat er niet meer foto's in staan.
Winnie & Nelson van Jonny Steinberg is een dubbelbiografie over Winnie en Nelson Mandela. Het verhaal vertelt de levensverhalen van twee bijzondere mensen die uiteindelijk met elkaar zullen trouwen, twee kinderen zullen krijgen, maar waarbij ze maar kort van hun huwelijk konden genieten omdat Nelson uiteindelijk zevenentwintig jaar gevangen zou komen te zitten, hoe ze hun levens gedwongen gescheiden leefden van elkaar en uiteindelijk weer bij elkaar komen, hoe het leven na de gevangenschap verder ging.
Lees verder op https://surfingann.blogspot.com/2023/... .
Winnie & Nelson van Jonny Steinberg is een dubbelbiografie over Winnie en Nelson Mandela. Het verhaal vertelt de levensverhalen van twee bijzondere mensen die uiteindelijk met elkaar zullen trouwen, twee kinderen zullen krijgen, maar waarbij ze maar kort van hun huwelijk konden genieten omdat Nelson uiteindelijk zevenentwintig jaar gevangen zou komen te zitten, hoe ze hun levens gedwongen gescheiden leefden van elkaar en uiteindelijk weer bij elkaar komen, hoe het leven na de gevangenschap verder ging.
Lees verder op https://surfingann.blogspot.com/2023/... .
February 2, 2024
Wow! What a magnificent read this was. I procrastinated starting it as it's a huge book (with 70 pages of acknowledgements and references at the end) and I thought it was going to be "heavy" going and feel like a text book. I'm not really into politics at all and feel that growing up in SA, we were exposed to a barrage of newsworthy stories about them constantly. Definitely nothing like that. This book reads like a movie. I loved the way the different stages of the "struggle" were intertwined in their relationship over the years and how we learnt things about the other members of apartheid struggle along the way too. I'll definitely be reading Christo Brand's book when I can get my hands on it. I wish I could give this 10 stars. I'll be surprised if this isn't made into a movie or series.
November 17, 2025
All heroes have flaws. This paints a picture of a very turbulent marriage, a pairing of opportunity and lust. Neither Nelson nor Winnie come across particularly well, even if ultimately they fought and won for justice for a good cause. Wonderfully told with some fascinating insights, the author has done the work. As a biography, an exemplar.
January 15, 2024
This book was engaging from the beginning but I had to take breaks from reading it because it doesn’t shy away from some of the horrors of apartheid. I enjoyed revisiting some of the struggle history and some varied reflections on both Winnie and Nelson.
June 22, 2025
This is a completely amazing book, well-researched and beautifully written. Warning: it is also a sad story. Both Winnie and Nelson come across as people broken by the brutality of the apartheid government, contrary to the common view of Nelson as miraculously unaffected by his long imprisonment.
March 20, 2024
I'd last read about Nelson Mandela many years ago with his autobiography. This book perhaps showed the power of biography and the passage of some time - portraits of two very charismatic and powerful people but increasingly different. The love and the pain of their relationship, and how they have been viewed over time given the unique roles they both played in South Africa's history. It was quite a tour de force of a book.
December 3, 2025
To preface this brief review I'd like to note that I know very very little about South Africa, the Mandelas, and the struggle against apartheid. I knew what is often said about Winnie -- that she supported necklacing, that she was far more violent. Of course we all know about Nelson's unjustly, unthinkably long imprisonment.
But the truth of the savagery of the apartheid regime cannot be summarized, can hardly be understood clearly by someone lucky enough to lead a life of freedom like mine own. One cannot read this book without recognizing that Winnie had a violent streak, a deep hypocrisy in her thinking, and a seeming narcissism. And yet, her influence cannot be understated, and has grown since her death as the final chapter details. When one reads the injustices against her, it almost makes forgivable her violent nature and her violent actions.
Then there is Nelson. A character who jumps off the page with his wide strong shoulders and handsome visage. The power of presence most starkly shown early on when Gaur Radebe -- who worked at the same law firm as Nelson as the unofficial liaison to the black clientele -- resigns his position to allow Nelson to fill it, seeing what potential lie latent in the strapping young man. Like Winnie, he has his black marks. His relationship with his first wife, his philandering, his lying and strongarming. And yet, a great great man, a man who knew what his existence here could mean, who knew what was possible for him to do.
It's a very worthwhile read.
But the truth of the savagery of the apartheid regime cannot be summarized, can hardly be understood clearly by someone lucky enough to lead a life of freedom like mine own. One cannot read this book without recognizing that Winnie had a violent streak, a deep hypocrisy in her thinking, and a seeming narcissism. And yet, her influence cannot be understated, and has grown since her death as the final chapter details. When one reads the injustices against her, it almost makes forgivable her violent nature and her violent actions.
Then there is Nelson. A character who jumps off the page with his wide strong shoulders and handsome visage. The power of presence most starkly shown early on when Gaur Radebe -- who worked at the same law firm as Nelson as the unofficial liaison to the black clientele -- resigns his position to allow Nelson to fill it, seeing what potential lie latent in the strapping young man. Like Winnie, he has his black marks. His relationship with his first wife, his philandering, his lying and strongarming. And yet, a great great man, a man who knew what his existence here could mean, who knew what was possible for him to do.
It's a very worthwhile read.
September 5, 2023
This is a biography thoroughly documenting the lives of both Winnie and Nelson Mandela. Steinberg chronicles their young lives before they met, their time together as a couple, and their times apart while he was in prison and after they divorced. He examines who they are as individuals, but also who they were in relation to each other, and how they each influenced who the other became.
At over 500 pages this is a remarkably detailed book and the global politics reader and Mandela fan will find it a real treat. For me, a general nonfiction reader, I had trouble staying engaged with a book this in depth.
I would recommend for readers with a high interest in this specific subject, but for those looking for a more accessible nonfiction read you probably won't want to start here.
Thank you Alfred A. Knopf for sharing an advanced copy with me in exchange for an honest review.
At over 500 pages this is a remarkably detailed book and the global politics reader and Mandela fan will find it a real treat. For me, a general nonfiction reader, I had trouble staying engaged with a book this in depth.
I would recommend for readers with a high interest in this specific subject, but for those looking for a more accessible nonfiction read you probably won't want to start here.
Thank you Alfred A. Knopf for sharing an advanced copy with me in exchange for an honest review.
October 2, 2023
It would be easy for this story to lapse into hagiography, public airing of dirty laundry, or tawdry gossip. It manages to steer clear of those, providing a deeply researched, sensitive, balanced and fascinating account of the intertwined life trajectories of two people who had an outsize impact on their country and beyond. The protagonists’ compelling personalities and their complex characters are set against the tumultuous years of the struggle against apartheid that shaped and shattered their relationship, which in turn impacted the course of the fight for democracy.
August 29, 2023
Steinberg has written a devastating portrait of the revered couple that the reader will never forget. His research is impeccable, and he is compassionate at the same time his judgement is sharp. I am deeply saddened by the tragedy of the lives of these two deeply flawed historical figures.
August 8, 2023
Full review at: https://readingourshelves.wordpress.c...
Growing up in the 80s & 90s, I had been aware of Nelson Mandela. But of course, what I had read back then was the children’s version of his story – and it was also a story that was not yet complete. I had also been unaware of his wife’s story up until now.
Nelson was quite a bit older than Winnie. He was married with children already when they started dating – and she was also dating someone else at the time. Their romantic escapades with others did not stop after they got married, either.
They had two children together, both girls. The couple only really lived together for a few years before Nelson first went into hiding… then, eventually, prison. He ultimately remained in state custody for 27 years, which did curtail his philandering (but not Winnie’s).
During that time, not only did Winnie have other men around… she often had volatile relationships with thugs and informers, including some that were (eventually) half her age. In fact, after a few years of being banished to another part of the country from where she had been living with Nelson, she seemed to encourage and orchestrate violence as a means to resist apartheid. She was an advocate of armed struggle. Nelson had once believed in this, too, but his aims softened over time. She believed that he did not see things accurately while he was being taken care of in jail.
The state was always keeping an eye on her, though, which muddles the story. She led a “team” of young men who enacted a lot of threats and actual violence in the late 80s. But, a few of them were actually plants/informers. So, when the group kidnapped four young men from a nearby home, and eventually killed one, there was some difference in opinion on whether to hold Winnie accountable. Since some of the men involved were informers… did Winnie order these actions, or was she framed by the state?
She and Nelson did divorce after his release, as they had grown too far apart. Initially, he used his considerable reputation to fund her legal defense and appoint her to high positions. But they truly saw things differently, and did not stay together. Nelson eventually did remarry, to a former first lady from a neighboring African country whose first husband had passed away.
This story was full of conflict, and really made my head spin at times! The public persona of Nelson Mandela – at least here, so far away in another continent – is one of patience, of sacrificing so many years for the good of his people. The children’s version of the story I remembered was akin to those of our own Civil Rights leaders here, like Martin Luther King, Jr. So firstly, it shocked me to learn that his last name – as carried around in Johannesburg by Winnie and her “team” of gangsters – was more often associated with violence during the 1980s.
And then, it shocked me again to find that many black people in South Africa today identify more with Winnie! Because there is still much poverty, some find that not enough has changed since the supposed end of apartheid – basically feeling that it ended in name only. So they see Nelson as just a puppet, a symbol, and notsomuch an actual change-maker.
This one was definitely challenging. But, as I said, there is also a lot of action. If you’re interested in world history or politics, or haven’t studied South Africa much, it’s a eye-opening read.
Growing up in the 80s & 90s, I had been aware of Nelson Mandela. But of course, what I had read back then was the children’s version of his story – and it was also a story that was not yet complete. I had also been unaware of his wife’s story up until now.
Nelson was quite a bit older than Winnie. He was married with children already when they started dating – and she was also dating someone else at the time. Their romantic escapades with others did not stop after they got married, either.
They had two children together, both girls. The couple only really lived together for a few years before Nelson first went into hiding… then, eventually, prison. He ultimately remained in state custody for 27 years, which did curtail his philandering (but not Winnie’s).
During that time, not only did Winnie have other men around… she often had volatile relationships with thugs and informers, including some that were (eventually) half her age. In fact, after a few years of being banished to another part of the country from where she had been living with Nelson, she seemed to encourage and orchestrate violence as a means to resist apartheid. She was an advocate of armed struggle. Nelson had once believed in this, too, but his aims softened over time. She believed that he did not see things accurately while he was being taken care of in jail.
The state was always keeping an eye on her, though, which muddles the story. She led a “team” of young men who enacted a lot of threats and actual violence in the late 80s. But, a few of them were actually plants/informers. So, when the group kidnapped four young men from a nearby home, and eventually killed one, there was some difference in opinion on whether to hold Winnie accountable. Since some of the men involved were informers… did Winnie order these actions, or was she framed by the state?
She and Nelson did divorce after his release, as they had grown too far apart. Initially, he used his considerable reputation to fund her legal defense and appoint her to high positions. But they truly saw things differently, and did not stay together. Nelson eventually did remarry, to a former first lady from a neighboring African country whose first husband had passed away.
This story was full of conflict, and really made my head spin at times! The public persona of Nelson Mandela – at least here, so far away in another continent – is one of patience, of sacrificing so many years for the good of his people. The children’s version of the story I remembered was akin to those of our own Civil Rights leaders here, like Martin Luther King, Jr. So firstly, it shocked me to learn that his last name – as carried around in Johannesburg by Winnie and her “team” of gangsters – was more often associated with violence during the 1980s.
And then, it shocked me again to find that many black people in South Africa today identify more with Winnie! Because there is still much poverty, some find that not enough has changed since the supposed end of apartheid – basically feeling that it ended in name only. So they see Nelson as just a puppet, a symbol, and notsomuch an actual change-maker.
This one was definitely challenging. But, as I said, there is also a lot of action. If you’re interested in world history or politics, or haven’t studied South Africa much, it’s a eye-opening read.
July 23, 2025
CLEAN UP WRITING.
Steinberg's unique talent for channeling a grand political narrative through intimate biographical portrayals has in Winnie and Nelson produced a most phenomenal book.
Winnie and Nelson represents a meaningful departure from Steinberg's modus operandi in that it takes up writing the lives of two individuals whose stories have been told countless times. Nonetheless, Steinberg stays true to style with profound intimacy and unrelenting honesty of his depictions, which produces sympathetic yet frank depictions of the book's subjects. The thicket of established narratives about Winnie and Nelson is cast as his project's primary challenge, but it is also its lifeblood: for all that these narratives obfuscate the truth, Winnie and Nelson's interaction and contribution to their likenesses serve as windows into their personal and political motivations.
There is much more to this book than the deep excavation of the Mandela-Madikizela legacy. Their lives, so central to the narratives that South Africans tell about the present and the past, cast in sharp relief overlooked aspects of South Africa's political history when rendered with Steinberg's careful and critical attention to the historical archive. Much can be learned about the Apartheid regime too. Its brutality is far from sanitized, but one also notices a pattern of the door to resistance being left slightly ajar. Whether it was due to chance, compassion, or complacency remains clear.
Steinberg's singular talent is his perceptive and interpretive faculties. It is a rare skill to be able to convincingly ascertain the inner psychological lives of individuals one only encounters through historical documents, one that at times allows him to understand things about his subject that may not even have been clear to themselves, such as when he speculates on why Nelson never seriously courted Lillian Ngoyi. The approach is at the heart of his book's brilliance, particularly because his subjects are uniquely unreliable in their self-narration. However, it is nonetheless treacherous, for one simply cannot always know. Steinberg is quite bold in this regard, permitting himself to state inferences as likely truths, and does not always make clear how far he is venturing beyond the archive. In other books, I have felt that Steinberg veered close to the deeply irresponsible, imposing questionable psychoanalytical speculations on individuals whose stories he is in full control of. Steinberg strikes a better balance in Winnie and Nelson , although still assumes a competent reader that will evaluate his rendition scrupulously.
Overall, it is a sensational book that I cannot recommend highly enough. Jacob Dlamini's review of the book captures it well: “It takes a special talent to write about Winnie Madikizela and Nelson Mandela without collapsing under the weight—part myth, part hagiography, part obfuscation—that these two towering figures bring to bear on the historical record [...] Only Steinberg could have written a book in which Winnie and Nelson can appear both larger-than-life and all-too-human. What a book! What an achievement!” Puleng Lange-Stewart, who narrates Steinberg's prose to full effect, also deserves much praise.
Some other parts two dwell on:
- The story of Chris Hatting (Dr Mulapo), the white doctor in Branfort who opened his clinic at 6am and closed again at 12am so that Black South Africans could see him under pass laws.
- The decision to render Winnie's jealous love letter uninterrupted in full
- How did South Africa end up with such a progressive constitution given the many remnants of cultural conservatism? Was it early urbanization that changed the attitudes of many?
- You should update review to note that Nelson somehow gets a more intimate treatment, perhaps because of Jonny's access to the Coetsee collection and lack of access to Winnie's estate.
- WHy did Nelson become so committed to violence in the 1960s? Was he seeking prominence?
Steinberg's unique talent for channeling a grand political narrative through intimate biographical portrayals has in Winnie and Nelson produced a most phenomenal book.
Winnie and Nelson represents a meaningful departure from Steinberg's modus operandi in that it takes up writing the lives of two individuals whose stories have been told countless times. Nonetheless, Steinberg stays true to style with profound intimacy and unrelenting honesty of his depictions, which produces sympathetic yet frank depictions of the book's subjects. The thicket of established narratives about Winnie and Nelson is cast as his project's primary challenge, but it is also its lifeblood: for all that these narratives obfuscate the truth, Winnie and Nelson's interaction and contribution to their likenesses serve as windows into their personal and political motivations.
There is much more to this book than the deep excavation of the Mandela-Madikizela legacy. Their lives, so central to the narratives that South Africans tell about the present and the past, cast in sharp relief overlooked aspects of South Africa's political history when rendered with Steinberg's careful and critical attention to the historical archive. Much can be learned about the Apartheid regime too. Its brutality is far from sanitized, but one also notices a pattern of the door to resistance being left slightly ajar. Whether it was due to chance, compassion, or complacency remains clear.
Steinberg's singular talent is his perceptive and interpretive faculties. It is a rare skill to be able to convincingly ascertain the inner psychological lives of individuals one only encounters through historical documents, one that at times allows him to understand things about his subject that may not even have been clear to themselves, such as when he speculates on why Nelson never seriously courted Lillian Ngoyi. The approach is at the heart of his book's brilliance, particularly because his subjects are uniquely unreliable in their self-narration. However, it is nonetheless treacherous, for one simply cannot always know. Steinberg is quite bold in this regard, permitting himself to state inferences as likely truths, and does not always make clear how far he is venturing beyond the archive. In other books, I have felt that Steinberg veered close to the deeply irresponsible, imposing questionable psychoanalytical speculations on individuals whose stories he is in full control of. Steinberg strikes a better balance in Winnie and Nelson , although still assumes a competent reader that will evaluate his rendition scrupulously.
Overall, it is a sensational book that I cannot recommend highly enough. Jacob Dlamini's review of the book captures it well: “It takes a special talent to write about Winnie Madikizela and Nelson Mandela without collapsing under the weight—part myth, part hagiography, part obfuscation—that these two towering figures bring to bear on the historical record [...] Only Steinberg could have written a book in which Winnie and Nelson can appear both larger-than-life and all-too-human. What a book! What an achievement!” Puleng Lange-Stewart, who narrates Steinberg's prose to full effect, also deserves much praise.
Some other parts two dwell on:
- The story of Chris Hatting (Dr Mulapo), the white doctor in Branfort who opened his clinic at 6am and closed again at 12am so that Black South Africans could see him under pass laws.
- The decision to render Winnie's jealous love letter uninterrupted in full
- How did South Africa end up with such a progressive constitution given the many remnants of cultural conservatism? Was it early urbanization that changed the attitudes of many?
- You should update review to note that Nelson somehow gets a more intimate treatment, perhaps because of Jonny's access to the Coetsee collection and lack of access to Winnie's estate.
- WHy did Nelson become so committed to violence in the 1960s? Was he seeking prominence?
September 7, 2024
Having lived my entire life enmeshed into the Mandela (both Nelson & Winnie) this is not usually the kind of book I'd read. However, Jonny Steinberg happens to be one of my favourite South African writers, so I waded into it. And boy am I glad I did.
Despite it being a "Portrait of a Marriage," that "Winnie" precedes "Nelson" in the book's title - vs the other way round which is what you'd expect considering the towering figure Nelson Mandela is in global consciousness - is a subtle hint that this book is more about her than him. Of course Nelson never vanishes from the book in its entirety, but after his incarceration in '64, the book very much becomes about Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela Mandela.
Personally, even though I was raised in an ANC family (actually, maybe because of it) I knew there was 'ugliness' around the Mandela Football Club, Stompie Sepei, and was aware of her extramarital affairs, to be blunt about it. However, I never knew the full details of that history. Steinberg is unflinching in detailing all of that, however it's not an unkind retelling in that, testament to the brilliance of his writing, he also situates what she did, what she was involved in, and who she was involved in the larger tableau of who he paints her to have been from her girlhood and the situation she was in because of the apartheid regime's repeated and concerted attacks on her and her children.
While he is a great academic and writer, Steinberg is not a historian. You see that in how, at times he draws conclusions from impeccably sourced¹ facts (conclusions I will admit to largely agreeing with) that could be interpreted in other ways.
While I firmly, 100%, recommend this book if this an area of South Africa's story you are interested in and just in general, I think if you come away from it with a different view than the conclusion Steinberg reaches - which I do largely agree with - I think that's not only okay, but good as it will only spur further research, investigation, and discussion about this part of a history that is so integral to South Africa.
¹If you're a history nerd, I'd also recommend reading Steinberg's post-script on the Coetsee Collection which was integral to this book
Despite it being a "Portrait of a Marriage," that "Winnie" precedes "Nelson" in the book's title - vs the other way round which is what you'd expect considering the towering figure Nelson Mandela is in global consciousness - is a subtle hint that this book is more about her than him. Of course Nelson never vanishes from the book in its entirety, but after his incarceration in '64, the book very much becomes about Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela Mandela.
Personally, even though I was raised in an ANC family (actually, maybe because of it) I knew there was 'ugliness' around the Mandela Football Club, Stompie Sepei, and was aware of her extramarital affairs, to be blunt about it. However, I never knew the full details of that history. Steinberg is unflinching in detailing all of that, however it's not an unkind retelling in that, testament to the brilliance of his writing, he also situates what she did, what she was involved in, and who she was involved in the larger tableau of who he paints her to have been from her girlhood and the situation she was in because of the apartheid regime's repeated and concerted attacks on her and her children.
While he is a great academic and writer, Steinberg is not a historian. You see that in how, at times he draws conclusions from impeccably sourced¹ facts (conclusions I will admit to largely agreeing with) that could be interpreted in other ways.
While I firmly, 100%, recommend this book if this an area of South Africa's story you are interested in and just in general, I think if you come away from it with a different view than the conclusion Steinberg reaches - which I do largely agree with - I think that's not only okay, but good as it will only spur further research, investigation, and discussion about this part of a history that is so integral to South Africa.
¹If you're a history nerd, I'd also recommend reading Steinberg's post-script on the Coetsee Collection which was integral to this book
February 28, 2024
Any account of these two extraordinary leaders living through their extraordinary times, has the scope of as an epic saga. But it's the intimacy with which Steinberg tells their personal stories, and how their traumas shaped their world views and actions, that really makes this book a revelation.
In a turning point in Winnie's life, Steinberg describes what happens to her state of mind after being tortured by Apartheid interrogator Theuns Swanepoel: "Her interior landscape and the landscape of her nation appear to have been indistinguishable to her". Mindblowing.
And the sorrow of Nelson the prisoner, without agency to influence his own personal relationships and family legacy... What a revelatory lens to understand the personal impact of any loss of freedom, and what a heartbreaking way to empathise with Nelson's particular experience of political triumph and personal tragedy after his release.
One can't help but draw parallels with the psychological impact of the horrors of the current Middle East war, and all violent conflicts for that matter.
It sounds dark, and of course it is, because it was. But the book is also filled with accounts of courage, of human connection, unbelievable resilience, and ultimately the triumphant end of Apartheid. It's also a page-turning story of a passionate, loving, turbulent and very human relationship. I stayed up many nights to read it.
In a turning point in Winnie's life, Steinberg describes what happens to her state of mind after being tortured by Apartheid interrogator Theuns Swanepoel: "Her interior landscape and the landscape of her nation appear to have been indistinguishable to her". Mindblowing.
And the sorrow of Nelson the prisoner, without agency to influence his own personal relationships and family legacy... What a revelatory lens to understand the personal impact of any loss of freedom, and what a heartbreaking way to empathise with Nelson's particular experience of political triumph and personal tragedy after his release.
One can't help but draw parallels with the psychological impact of the horrors of the current Middle East war, and all violent conflicts for that matter.
It sounds dark, and of course it is, because it was. But the book is also filled with accounts of courage, of human connection, unbelievable resilience, and ultimately the triumphant end of Apartheid. It's also a page-turning story of a passionate, loving, turbulent and very human relationship. I stayed up many nights to read it.
January 4, 2025
From one of South Africa’s foremost nonfiction writers, this is a deeply researched, shattering new account of Nelson Mandela’s relationship with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Jonny Steinberg reveals the fractures and stubborn bonds at the heart of a volatile and groundbreaking union, a historical chronicle played out on the world stage.
Steinberg avoids salacious accounts, instead providing a sensitive, balanced, and fascinating account of the intertwined life trajectories of two people who had an outsized impact on their country and beyond.
A major source for the book lay in 15,000 pages of material recorded by prison officials monitoring visitors to Mandela in prison, even more so by Steinberg’s ability to use sources that allow verbatim re-telling of history. All this material was later donated to the University of the Free State.
“Another aspect of Winnie’s conduct would echo into the future. She was discovering early something that she and Nelson learned well, along with many others who have exercised power: that even blatant lying might pay off, for time and circumstance have a formidable capacity to remake what passes for truth.”
P.S. This review is intended to persuade the reader to what’s most important, i.e. the timeline of all that transpired during the political history of the apartheid era.
Steinberg avoids salacious accounts, instead providing a sensitive, balanced, and fascinating account of the intertwined life trajectories of two people who had an outsized impact on their country and beyond.
A major source for the book lay in 15,000 pages of material recorded by prison officials monitoring visitors to Mandela in prison, even more so by Steinberg’s ability to use sources that allow verbatim re-telling of history. All this material was later donated to the University of the Free State.
“Another aspect of Winnie’s conduct would echo into the future. She was discovering early something that she and Nelson learned well, along with many others who have exercised power: that even blatant lying might pay off, for time and circumstance have a formidable capacity to remake what passes for truth.”
P.S. This review is intended to persuade the reader to what’s most important, i.e. the timeline of all that transpired during the political history of the apartheid era.
June 4, 2023
I admit that going into "Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage" by Jonny Steinberg, that I really didn't know a lot about this larger than life couple. Sadly another one of those very American situations where we are seemingly given a storybook glossy version of events.
Steinberg book spans a lifetime and provides a very in depth look at the various events that took place before, during and after apartheid, everything surrounding and gives so much context to how things became what they became. It is more than disturbing at times. Difficult situations make for difficult decisions and choices. While it could be easy to vilify persons involved for their actions, Steinberg manages to let us still retain some sympathetic feelings for certain people (I'm trying to not spoil anything).
I learned a lot, and will probably do a deeper dive. Definitely a testament to just not knowing what is really happening behind the scenes in peoples lives. This was an eye opening important read and I'd definitely recommend it.
Steinberg book spans a lifetime and provides a very in depth look at the various events that took place before, during and after apartheid, everything surrounding and gives so much context to how things became what they became. It is more than disturbing at times. Difficult situations make for difficult decisions and choices. While it could be easy to vilify persons involved for their actions, Steinberg manages to let us still retain some sympathetic feelings for certain people (I'm trying to not spoil anything).
I learned a lot, and will probably do a deeper dive. Definitely a testament to just not knowing what is really happening behind the scenes in peoples lives. This was an eye opening important read and I'd definitely recommend it.
September 25, 2023
"Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage" is a tour de force. In it, we travel with these two historical figures, learn about their formative years, courtship, their short-lived time under the same roof as a married couple, and so much that came thereafter. Each had a deep commitment (a marriage even) to the apartheid resistance movement in South Africa. This shaped the trajectories of their lives in very different ways. This book sheds light on how their philosophical paths diverged as apartheid continued to influence their lives. Steinberg masterfully narrates their stories with a delicate touch, aiming to reveal the humanity within both individuals.
As an aside, I found myself empathizing with Winnie Mandela throughout. Apartheid was undeniably cruel to her, and history has not been much friendlier in its assessment of how she lived during that time. To her death she disputed some of the more egregious acts of violence attributed to her. This book provided a wealth of insights into her character, and I emerged with a deeper understanding of her complexities.
As an aside, I found myself empathizing with Winnie Mandela throughout. Apartheid was undeniably cruel to her, and history has not been much friendlier in its assessment of how she lived during that time. To her death she disputed some of the more egregious acts of violence attributed to her. This book provided a wealth of insights into her character, and I emerged with a deeper understanding of her complexities.
December 16, 2023
Interesting joint biography of Winnie and Nelson, and of their maRriage against the historical background of South African politics over the past fifty years. Interesting discussions on what is left unsaid or what is deliberately twisted in the autobiographies and numerous biographies of the two main characters. A lot of research but sometimes seeming to invent the thoughts of characters. Incredible (and quite unique for a biography): the author is able to quote verbatim conversations, as the apartheid regime recorded and transcripted conversations of Mandela with his visitors (wife, children, grandchildren, chaplain, etc)during his long years in prison. It also recorded some of his secret talks with senior officials. The Coetsee collection (named after K. Coetsee was the apartheid's regime's last minister of justice and prisons, who had taken the record with him as he left office in 1994) was a fifteen thousand pages long file!
February 12, 2025
I have read Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom and expected this book to be more or less the same, uplifting and inspirational. Instead I found a searching, psychologically probing and painful examination of two very complicated people, profoundly tormented by the apartheid regime, deeply elusive in the stories they told others about their lives. Given the intimately personal matter involved, it's a given that there would be more than one take of this material, but Steinberg impresses as trying hard to get at the truth, while remaining fundamentally sympathetic to the two main characters, including Winnie, who was evidently a very troubled person. I did come away more than ever impressed by the trauma that apartheid visited on South Africa.
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