Odyssey to Freedom by Bizos, George
Odyssey to Freedom by Bizos, George
A memoir by the world-renowned human rights advocate, friend and lawyer of Nelson Mandela
Hardcover, ISBN 9780958419581
Publisher: Random House, 2007 First Edition
Used - Very Good+. This book is in very good condition. The cover have some very limited signs of wear and the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. Gift inscription on title page.This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. The book is protected with a Cellophane cover.
A remarkable, courageous and beneficial life spanning 80 eventful years: this is the long-awaited autobiography of one of the world's most admired human rights advocates. George Bizos has been a friend and lawyer to Nelson Mandela, to several leading figures from South Africa's liberation struggle and numerous other victims of apartheid. Told in astonishing detail, this spell-binding story is a tale of courage, legal acumen and the defence of human dignity. It is both a gripping courtroom drama and a record of historical events.
Beginning with his escape with his father from the Nazis in Greece after rescuing six Allied soldiers, followed by their flight to South Africa where his father had been told the streets were paved with gold, Bizos describes the drama, heartache and moments of triumph in his career right up to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings and the 2004 trial of Morgan Tsvangirai in Zimbabwe. He also relives the domestic moments that made bearable the brutal years, revelling in his return to his beloved Greece, his joy at the Athens Olympic Games and his love of modern Greek poetry.
With a foreword by Nelson Mandela and 32 pages of photographs.
From Odyssey to Freedom, page 455
As the time drew near for the State to close its case [the Delmas Trial, August 1985 to November 1989], arthur Chaskalson and Gilbert Marcus prepared for the next stage of the trial. They worked on written argument calling for the accused to be discharged at the end of the State's case as, based on the facts and the law of treason, there was no case for them to meet. This was a matter of law so the two assessors had no say in the decision. The judge dismissed the application except regarding three of the accused. These three he found not guilty and discharged. The case was postponed. When it resumed we decided to begin with the accused from the Vaal Triangle area and leave the UDF leaders until the end. This would give us - and particularly Gilbert Marcus - an opportunity to prepare them in relation to the documents produced by the State.
One of the most engaging South African autobiographies I have read in some time ... George Bizos is a true patriot. His story deserves to be widely read.
Gerald Shaw, Cape Times
Hailed as the publishing event of the year.
Andrew Donaldson, Sunday Times
It is much more than a book about one man's life. It is a valuable record of South Africa's history.
Brian Joss, Southern Suburbs Tatler
More than a catalogue of apartheid-era horrors. It is one of the most engaging South African autobiographies I have read in some time.
Gerald Shaw, Cape Times
What illuminates the Bizos book is the laser-sharp insight into the operation of our judicial system.
André Brink, Sunday Independent
He's a raconteur of note and tells the story of his life the same way your grandfather told you about his boyhood and heroics in this or that war. Read Bizos. He was there.
Don Makatile, Soweto Sunday World
