Mandela

Anthony Sampson

How, you ask yourself, can the century which permitted the evils of Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin also throw up a leader of the stature of Nelson Mandela? We all probably have an idea of the dramatic course of his life and the events which helped shape it. Mandela dealt with these himself in his autobiography, 'Long Walk to Freedom', a truly stirring political memoir and a deserved bestseller, so the question is: how does Sampson's work compare?

The answer is: very well indeed. Sampson has known Mandela for half a century and uses all his personal knowledge and experience to create what is a very fine example of the art of biography indeed. Where 'Long Walk' was a moving, personal testimony, 'Mandela' sees a veteran journalist and writer probe more deeply at both the key events in Mandela's political development and how the man responded to them, especially post-apartheid and the thorny issues of Winnie's increasing extremism and the in-fighting which came dangerously close to derailing the whole ANC path to power.

Sampson also avoids the trap of mythologising his subject, who is presented here warts and all, but it is clear that we are dealing with a man of great stature of the kind who are, alas, all too rare.

The minutiae of Mandela's early days in the political battlefield may seem a bit drawn-out, but once we hit the Treason Trial, imprisonment and the triumph of release, the book is virtually unputdownable, and how often can you say that about a political biography? In fact, this whole section would make a great movie. There are also plenty of lighter moments. I love the story Mandela himself tells of the people who kept confusing him with Nelson Mandela, and of the tourists who bumped into him and said, “Hey, you're Nelson Mandela! What is it you're famous for again?”

If you're looking for a gripping biography about a man and leader who stands head and shoulders above most other leaders thrown up by the 20th century, look no further than 'Mandela'.