SOL PLAATJE, a life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje, 1876-1932

711pp., illus., paperback, First SA Edition, Johannesburg, 2018

"This book started out as a modest attempt to update the biography I wrote in 1984. It has ended up, however, as a wholly new book and, I hope, the better for it. I have been able to uncover far more new evidence and information than I had imagined possible, shedding new light on almost every aspect of his life..." Brian Willan, from his preface

Journalist and writer Sol Plaatje (1876-1932) was one of the founders of the ANC, a leading spokesperson for black opinion, and the author of "Mafeking Diary", "Native Life in South Africa" and "Mhudi".

"When a master craftsman spends decades engaging with a historical figure of towering proportions and importance, one has all the makings of a classic. Willan's 'Sol Plaatje' should stand - centre-shelf - in every personal and public library in southern Africa and beyond because it offers us a magnificent evocation of the life of one of our greatest countrymen.: Charles van Onselen, author of "Small Matter of a Horse" and "The Seed Is Mine, the life of Kas Maine, a South African sharecropper"

"This is a commanding – and important – biography of Sol Plaatje with a clear purpose, to bring to light a story of how this very remarkable South African figure understood himself and to illuminate the ideas and beliefs that sustained him. A blockbuster of humane historical writing and a monumental research achievement." Bill Nasson, author of "The War for South Africa" and "Springboks on the Somme"

"It takes a historian who was invested many years in research to write a biography as detailed as this one. Willan relates Plaatje’s story with such amazing skill that this biography is a pleasure to read. It is as detailed as it is beautifully written in accessible language." Sabata-mpho Mokae, author of "The Story of Sol T. Plaatje"

Brian Willan is currently an Honorary Research Associate at the Institute for the Study of English in Africa, Rhodes University. His most recent books are "Sol Plaatje's Native Life in South Africa: past and present", co-edited with Janet Remmington and Bheki Peterson, and "Sol Plaatje, selected writings".