Portion of title |
Portrait of a marriage |
Contents |
Nelson : early years -- Winnie : early years -- Johannesburg -- Prison-detention -- Brandfort-Pollsmoor -- Headlong. |
Abstract |
"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 ground-breaking union, a very modern political marriage which was performed on the world stage"-- Provided by publisher. |
Summary |
One of the most celebrated political leaders of a 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 Madikizela-Mandela. During his years in prison, Nelson grew ever more in love with an idealized 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—making South African history a page-turning political biography. Winnie and Nelson is a modern epic in which trauma doesn’t affect just the couple at its center, 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. Steinberg reveals, with power and tender emotional insight, how far these forever-entwined leaders would go for each other and 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. -- Provided by publisher. |
General note | "This is a Borzoi book published by Alfred A. Knopf." |
Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages [485]-526) and index. |
Issued in other form | Online version: Steinberg, Jonny, 1970- Winnie and Nelson First edition. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2023 9780525656869 |
Genre/form | Biography. |
Genre/form | Biographies. |
Genre/form | Biographies. |
Genre/form | Biographies. |
LCCN | 2022026074 |
ISBN | 9780525656852 hardcover |
ISBN | 0525656855 hardcover |
ISBN | electronic book |
Standard identifier# |
40031818632 |