The Long Walk to Freedom

LONG WALK

TO FREEDOM

The Autobiography of

NELSON

MANDELA

Little, Brown and Company

Boston   New York   London

Copyright © 1994, 1995 by Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

eISBN 0-7595-8142-8

This book is also available in print as ISBN 0-316-54585-6.

CONTENTS

Part One

A COUNTRY CHILDHOOD

Part Two

JOHANNESBURG

Part Three

BIRTH OF A FREEDOM FIGHTER

Part Four

THE STRUGGLE IS MY LIFE

Part Five

TREASON

Part Six

THE BLACK PIMPERNEL

Part Seven

RIVONIA

Part Eight

ROBBEN ISLAND: THE DARK YEARS

Part Nine

ROBBEN ISLAND: BEGINNING TO HOPE

Part Ten

TALKING WITH THE ENEMY

Part Eleven

FREEDOM

INDEX

International Acclaim for

LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

“A compelling book . . . both a brilliant description of a diabolical system and a testament to the power of the spirit to transcend it. . . . One of the most remarkable lives of the twentieth century.”

— Washington Post Book World

“ ‘Irresistible’ describes Long Walk to Freedom, which must be one of the few political autobiographies that’s also a page-turner.”

— Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A truly wonderful autobiography, sharp, literate, unpretentious, and . . . as emotionally involving as it is informative.”

— Chicago Tribune

“The Nelson Mandela who emerges from Long Walk to Freedom . . . is considerably more human than the icon of legend.”

— New York Times Book Review

“Words like ‘generosity,’ ‘fortitude,’ and ‘patience’ ring through this moving account of Mandela’s life and struggle. . . . All hail to the man who could wait so long, and who knew what would be worth waiting for. Viva, Mandela, Viva!”

— Globe and Mail

“An engrossing tapestry of recent South African history that grips the reader from the first pages. . . . Riveting and sometimes painfully honest.”

— San Francisco Chronicle

“One of the most extraordinary political tales of the 20th century, and well worth the investment for anyone truly interested in the genesis of greatness.”

— Financial Times (London)

“A deeply touching chronicle of one of the remarkable lives of the twentieth century.”

— Christian Science Monitor

“The work of a man who has led by action and example — a man who is one of the few genuine heroes we have.”

— Kirkus

“Mandela writes with rare and moving candor.”

— The Economist

“[It] movingly records the extraordinary life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. . . . These pages come to dramatic life.”

— London Sunday Times

“A true gem. A wonderful journey worth taking.”

— Portland Oregonian

“This book should be on your ‘must-read’ list . .