Sunday surprise 2: the Robben Island Bible
[ by Charles Cameron — believing great scripture and great poetry have much in common ]
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In what must be the most glorious mix-up of scriptures ever, this volume of Shakespeare‘s works:
was smuggled into the prison on Robben Island, S Africa, where Nelson Mandela and others were incarcerated, by Mandela’s fellow-prisoner Sonny Venkatrathnam, who invited other prisoners to sign it next to the passages that meant the most to them.
Mandela’s signature is next to the passage in Julius Caesar, Act II scene ii, beginning:
Cowards die many times before their deaths
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Featuring Krishna with his beguiling flute on its spine, the book has become known as the Robben Island Bible.
Consider: this book inspired the man who brought an end to apartheid. How important would you say literature can be in the development of leaders of moral stature?
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Image sources:
Jonathan Bate, Ten books that changed the world Mark Brown, British Museum Shakespeare exhibition to include prized Robben Island copy
