Dare Not Linger

The Presidential Years

By: Nelson Mandela, Mandla Langa, Graca Machel - prologue

Narrated by: Adrian Lester

'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.' (Long Walk to Freedom)

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 presidential years, drawing heavily on the memoir he began to write as he prepared to finish his term of office but was unable to finish. Now the acclaimed South African writer 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. With a prologue by Mandela's widow, Graça Machel, the result is a vivid and inspirational account of Mandela's presidency, a country in flux and the creation of a new democracy. It tells the extraordinary story of the transition from decades of apartheid rule and the challenges Mandela overcame to make a reality of his cherished vision for a liberated South Africa.

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©2017 Nelson Mandela, 2017 Mandla Langa (P)2017 Macmillan Digital Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator Adrian Lester takes immediate control of the work, lending it a serious consequential air [...] Lester 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." (Audiofile)

Worth the wait!

Excellent read. Very informative. Profound. A nostalgic hark back to an innocent new South Africa. This book is a fitting follow-up to the legendary “Long Walk To Freedom”. However, poor pronunciation of African names by the narrator spoilt the experience. I can’t fathom how a South African who understands the nuances of our languages did not get the narrating gig.