Mandela: The Lost Tapes By cover art

Mandela: The Lost Tapes

By: Richard Stengel
Narrated by: Richard Stengel
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Episodes
  • Trailer

    Trailer
    Nov 4 2022

    Special thanks to the Mandela Foundation. To find out more about the life of Nelson Mandela, visit NelsonMandela.org.

    In 1993, after 27 years of imprisonment, Nelson Mandela sat down with ghostwriter Richard Stengel to begin working on Long Walk to Freedom, a critically acclaimed memoir that would become a best seller around the globe.

    Mandela: The Lost Tapes reveals never-before-heard audio from Stengel’s interviews with the Nobel Prize winner, freedom fighter, and former South African president. Hours of rare recordings detail the turning points of Mandela’s life, key moments that shaped a revolution and the man who was to bring freedom to his nation.

    In this Audible Original, Stengel relives his intimate chats with Mandela, attempting to answer the questions ‘What made Nelson Mandela who he is?’ and ‘How can the rest of us be more like him?’

    In Stengel’s own words: “It’s partly the story about how Mandela and I wrote his memoir Long Walk to Freedom. But much more than that, it’s a story about our unusual friendship, my struggle to learn who Mandela really was, and my quest to understand what makes a human being great.”

    Mandela: The Lost Tapes provides an intimate look at who Nelson Mandela was beyond his carefully curated public persona. Through Mandela’s own words, he reveals his extraordinary journey to becoming one of the greatest leaders in modern history.
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    1 min
  • Episode 1: Most Wanted

    Episode 1: Most Wanted
    Dec 1 2022

    Nelson Mandela, the most hunted fugitive in South Africa, is captured. 30 years later, the most famous prisoner in the world, is released.
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    32 mins
  • Episode 2: Underground

    Episode 2: Underground
    Dec 1 2022

    After South African police step up their violent attacks against protestors, Mandela launches a guerrilla movement.
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    23 mins

Editorial review


By Yvonne Durant, Audible Editor

MANDELA: THE LOST TAPES IS A TOUCHING, INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH THE MAN HIMSELF AND THE GHOSTWRITER WHO BECAME HIS FRIEND

I was living in Milan when Mandela took his first steps to freedom. Pronounced with an Italian accent, his name came out as "Man-day-la." It warmed my heart every time a friend asked, "Hai sentito? Man-day-la è, libero." (Have you heard? Mandela is free.) Not that I thought Italians didn’t care, Mandela’s plight just wasn’t a typical topic of conversation. One friend, a South African woman who had been living in Italy for years, worried that he would be assassinated within days of his release. I am so happy that never happened.

Nearly 30 years before, he saved himself in a split-second decision. He was cornered by police, he had a gun in his hand—there was no way he would get out of this alive. He chose to live believing that he would get a lawyer and be exonerated. Mandela believed that the legal system would understand that he was a good man with honorable intentions as he raised his voice against the oppressive government of apartheid. Instead, there would be no lawyers, just 27 years of prison on Robben Island. That the bed Mandela had to sleep in was too short for his six-foot frame was nothing compared with the daily hardships of prison. But he prevailed. He found a way to get his 500-page autobiography decreased to 50 pages and spirited it out of prison. He even became friends with some of his jailers who were poor South Afrikaans and had their struggles too. This was a cunning move on his part in that he became a symbol of hope for those whites not born into privilege who felt oppressed. He knew he would need their support on his road to the leadership of South Africa.

As I listened, I envied the relationship that developed between Richard Stengel and Mandela. Stengel earned his trust, and it was clear that Mandela was very fond of him, almost fatherly. In fact, Stengel took his advice when he urged him to marry Mary Pfaff, the South African photographer he met while working on the book. Both of the Stengels' sons carry Mandela’s names. Their older son’s middle name is Rolihlahla, which is Mandela’s birth name, and the younger son’s middle name is Madiba, the name of Mandela’s clan. Both boys met Mandela—talk about a memorable experience!

The main lesson I learned from listening to Mandela: The Lost Tapes is the importance of perseverance. It is key because brighter days will come. No day was as bright for me during my years in Italy when I saw Nelson Mandela walking, tall and distinguished, to freedom at last.

Continue reading Yvonne's review >

His memories became the memoir.

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Historical
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We’ve noticed—and applaud—a trend in our members' preferences for history: Audible listeners want to hear about events of the past with both discipline and nuance. You want authoritative synthesis and reliable facts, but also to hear about people's lived experience, preferably in novelistic detail. And all of us love some juicy reconstruction from time to time. This year, we picked the best performances to fill that tall order.

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Loved

Fantastic job. Really enjoyed your perspective and how you displayed the recordings. Worth the time to listen.

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Loved the story

It is fantastic to hear his voice and the conversations.
I learned so much not just about Mandela but about journalism.

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Wish I could have met him Nelson.

Great listening to his voice. I wish I could have met Nelson Mandela in person. I followed his story when I was younger. I’m still searching for more of his knowledge.

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Profile Image for CJB

WELL WORTH IT!!

Nelson Mandela was a true and compassionate leader. This book gives a deep insight into the man that he was. Well documented and appreciated! Great narration on top of that!

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Interesting and Compelling!

This is a rare glimpse into the life of a great man. I am struck how he can hold both sides of an issue with understanding and compassion.

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Fantastic

One of the most beautiful and profound podcast ever. Everyone should listen to this. It’s riveting

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Great audio

Was inspiring and informative. Mesmerized to listen to him and to know the man in a glimpse.

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Superb

Wonderful to hear Mandela’s voice reflecting on his life and major moments in South Africa’s history.

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Great listen great man

Always love hearing the stories of great people who achieved change.
Enjoyed hearing his voice speaking his thoughts.

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Don't Miss This Opportunity

Fascinating glimpse into the life of Nelson Mandela. Hard to hit pause on the narrative. This is an excellent accompaniment to Long Walk to Freedom.

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