Nelson Mandela penned hundreds of letters to loved ones, followers, government officials, and prison authorities during the 27 years he was held as a political prisoner, and soon theyll see the light of day.
Liveright Publishing, a division of W.W. Norton & Co., announced Tuesday that it will publish Mandelas extensive prison correspondence in two separate editions: a single volume containing some 250 selected letters due in July 2018 (timed to the centenary of Mandelas birth), and a more comprehensive two-volume collection to follow.
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandelawill feature annotated facsimiles of some of Mandelas letters and a foreword by his granddaughter Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela; Sahm Venter, a former Associated Press reporter who covered the future South African presidents release from prison in 1990, will serve as editor.
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This collection of letters reminds us of the exceptional pressures on Nelson Mandela to succumb to a system which aimed to wipe him from the public consciousness and which expected him to die a prisoner, Venter said in the announcement.
His resilience and his determination, in the face of enormous odds, to maintain his dignity and authority throughout are apparent in this rich first-hand account of his life in prison.
Liveright acquired the rights to Mandelas letters from the New Zealand-based publisher Blackwell & Ruth, which has a long association with Mandela and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
