Helen Suzman

When Robin Renwick was appointed British ambassador to South Africa in 1987, he formed a deep friendship with Helen Suzman. Now, drawing on her personal papers, Renwick sets out to capture the qualities of the woman who, in the face of the hostility of the apartheid regime, carved out a unique role for herself as an intrepid fighter for human rights, simple justice and the rights of prisoners and the disenfranchised majority. Her steely determination in pursuit of these principles earned her the admiration of millions of South Africans, black and white. As she memorably said: 'Like everybody else I long to be loved but I am not prepared to make any concessions whatsoever.' In Bright Star in a Dark Chamber, Renwick recalls her biting wit, fierce intelligence and close friendship with Nelson Mandela, formed when he was still behind prison bars.