This penetrating, timely portrait of Robert Mugabe is the psychobiography of a man whose once brilliant career has ruined Zimbabwe and cast shame on the African continent. Heidi Holland's tireless investigation begins with her having dinner with Mugabe, the freedom fighter, and ends in a searching interview with Zimbabwe's president more than 30 years later. The author charts Mugabe's gradual self-destruction, and uncovers some of the most respectable international players in the Zimbabwe tragedy. Probing the mystery of Africa's loyalty to one of its worst dictators, Holland explores the contradictions that cloud the life of the man who had embodied a continent's promise.

About the Author
Heidi Holland has been reporting from South Africa for 30 years. She has written extensively about the continent's liberation movements as well as its people, cities and belief systems for international media including the Guardian, the Sunday Times, the BBC and Nine Network in Australia. Her books include The Struggle: A History of the African National Congress, published in the week Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and a true crime investigation of racism in South Africa, The Colour of Murder.

Reviews
'By tracking down the key figures in Mugabe's life, Heidi Holland has come closer than anyone else to discovering what makes the old dictator tick' - David Blair, Daily Telegraph 'The most intimate portrait yet produced of Zimbabwe's clever but brutal leader' - Adam Roberts, The Economist



Book Information
ISBN 9780141040790
Author Heidi Holland
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 219g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 16mm