Jan Christian Smuts was soldier, statesman and intellectual, one of South Africas greatest leaders. Yet little is said about him today even as we appear to live in a leadership vacuum. This is a re-examination of the life and thought of Jan Smuts. It is intended to remind a contemporary readership of the remarkable achievements of this impressive soldier-statesman. The author argues that there is a need to bring Smuts back into the present, that Smuts' legacy still has much to instruct. He draws several parallels between Smuts and President Thabo Mbeki, both intellectuals much lionised abroad and yet often distrusted at home. This book is a highly readable account of Smuts' life. It also examines a number of overarching themes: his relationships with women, spiritual life, intellectual life and his role as advisor to world leaders. Politics and international affairs receive the lion's share, but Smuts' unique contributions to other fields -- for example, botany -- are not neglected. This book does not shy away from the contradictions of its subject. Smuts was one of the architects of the United Nations, and a great champion of human rights, yet he could not see the need to reform the condition of the African majority in his own country.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Jonathan Ball Publishers SA
ISBN-13
9781868426942
eBay Product ID (ePID)
221099832
Product Key Features
Author
Richard Steyn
Publication Name
Jan Smuts: Unafraid of Greatness
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Subject
Politics
Publication Year
2015
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
300 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
210mm
Item Width
148mm
Item Weight
500g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Richard Steyn
Genre
Biographies & True Stories
Country/Region of Manufacture
South Africa
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