Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years

by Nelson Mandela, Mandla Langa, Graça Machel Narrated by Adrian Lester

Overview

The long-awaited second volume of Nelson Mandela's memoirs, left unfinished at his death and never before available, are here completed and expanded with notes and speeches written by Mandela during his historic presidency, making for a moving sequel to his worldwide bestseller Long Walk to Freedom.

“I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”

In 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first president of democratic South Africa. Five years later, he stood down. In that time, he and his government wrought the most extraordinary transformation, turning a nation riven by centuries of colonialism and apartheid into a fully functioning democracy in which all South Africa's citizens, black and white, were equal before the law. Dare Not Linger is the story of Mandela's presidency, drawing heavily on the memoir he began to write as he prepared to finish his term as president, but was unable to finish. Now the acclaimed South African author Mandla Langa has completed the task using Mandela's unfinished draft, detailed notes that Mandela made as events were unfolding, and a wealth of previously unseen archival material. The result is a vivid and inspirational account of Mandela's presidency: years during which he overcame the challenges of transition and made a reality of his cherished vision for a liberated South Africa.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Not to be missed." Editor's Pick, AudioFile

"This important audiobook is the second volume of Mandela's memoirs, which were left unfinished when he died in 2013. ...Narrator Adrian Lester takes immediate control of the work, lending it a serious, consequential, worldly air. ...Lester also has the ability to transform his voice into Mandela's in the middle of a sentence and then go back to his impeccably precise reading. His pacing keeps the story fresh, and he uses his vocal elasticity to convey complex emotions. The result is a wonderful audio experience." -AudioFile

“A rare human being who, in freeing himself of his demons, also became free to give his extraordinarily leadership to his country and the world.” —Bill Clinton

“Underneath the history that has been made, there is a human being who chose hope over fear—progress over the prisons of the past . . . Even as he became a legend, to know the man—Nelson Mandela—is to respect him even more.” —Barack Obama

NOVEMBER 2017 - AudioFile

This important audiobook is the second volume of Mandela’s memoirs, which were left unfinished when he died in 2013. It’s more a collection of speeches than a finished narrative, but it gives us a fuller picture of this extraordinary man. Narrator Adrian Lester takes immediate control of the work, lending it a serious, consequential, worldly air. His Jamaican-tinged British accent envelopes the text and guides listeners through Mandela’s amazing journey. Lester also has the ability to transform his voice into Mandela’s in the middle of a sentence and then go back to his impeccably precise reading. His pacing keeps the story fresh, and he uses his vocal elasticity to convey complex emotions. The result is a wonderful audio experience. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2017-11-13
A memoir of Mandela's term as president of newly democratic South Africa.Catapulting from prison to executive office soon after attaining freedom, Mandela (1918-2013) pledged two things: he would serve only one five-year term, as opposed to the entrenched presidents who preceded him, and he would ensure that all South African citizens were treated equally under the law. After leaving office, he began writing a memoir of his time in office, but he did not complete it. Working with his drafts, South African novelist Langa (The Lost Colours of the Chameleon, 2008, etc.) delivers a book that is less polished (because it's told in two voices) than it would have been had Mandela finished it himself and that is a touch remote at times: "What Mandela said in the snap debate was in essence a reprise of his earlier speech in the Senate, but it was accompanied by a reminder of the fundamental goals of transition, and stressed that it was imperative that there should be a national effort to achieve those goals." Nonetheless, it is a critically important document as the principal firsthand record of Mandela's tumultuous time in office and the often ingenious measures he took to bring about peace. For instance, he had long steeped himself in the history and language of the Afrikaners, the Dutch-descended white settlers of South Africa who were agents of apartheid but not its authors, since the "Colour Bar was a British colonial invention." Mandela calculated that if the Afrikaners could be persuaded to act as a bloc in support of the new democracy he headed, then "they would form the backbone of its defense." So it was that he was able to head off a free-state movement and include Afrikaners, as well as other Europeans, in government. Though without the poetry of Mandela's memoir Long Walk to Freedom (1994), the book contains many such practical lessons in governance.Essential to students of Mandela's political career as well as of modern African history.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169167849
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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