Helen Suzman was the legendary
anti-apartheid campaigner whose life's work brought the iniquities of that
regime to global attention and shone a shaming spotlight on minority rule. As a
lone female, Jewish MP among 165 male, mostly Afrikaner and highly chauvinist
politicians, Suzman single-handedly carried the anti-racism banner in South
Africa's parliament during the darkest era of apartheid. Fearless, though she
was confronted by constant antagonism and the threat of physical violence,
Suzman's life is a story of determination reinforced by a brilliant sense of
humour. Access to all of Suzman's personal papers, including her unpublished
correspondence with Nelson Mandela, was granted by her family to the author,
former British ambassador to South Africa Robin Renwick, who has penned a book
rich with examples of her biting wit and political brilliance. This first
biography of her extraordinary life goes beyond her famous struggle against
South Africa's apartheid regime into her criticisms of the post-apartheid
government of the African National Congress. A fascinating insight into the
life and work of one of the truly great campaigners, this biography is an
essential contribution to one of the most resonant and important struggles of
modern history. The first biography of the legendary anti-apartheid campaigner.
