Bram Fischer

Meticulous and finely crafted, this biography of Abram Fischer follows the South African lawyer’s journey of conscience and personal transformation. Born into one of the most prominent Afrikaner nationalist families, Fischer nevertheless made his name as an antiapartheid activist noted for his defense of antiapartheid figures in major trials, including Nelson Mandela. In 1966, he himself was sentenced to life imprisonment for his political activities. Before his sentencing he had spent nine months underground, in disguise, evading a nationwide manhunt. What had brought him to these circumstances? What led to his untimely death after nine years in prison? In answering these and other questions, this book delves into the lives of Fischer and his wife Molly and goes beyond them to examine more than 100 years of South African history, the courtroom drama of South Africa’s great political trials, and the political intrigue of the 1960s and beyond. Weaving the personal and public, Stephen Clingman’s biography is an account of tragedy and transcendence, showing how the miracle of South Africa’s transition to democracy was deeply connected to the legacy of Bram Fischer.