He is the icon of our time. No one else is revered and admired worldwide to such an extent. His name stands for freedom, peace, and reconciliation, but also for resistance against oppression, for an end to racial discrimination, and for the inviolability of human dignity even under the most difficult conditions. On July 18, 2018, the great Nelson Mandela would have turned 100 years old. Who was this man who began his journey as a lawyer and political activist, became the voice of freedom in his country, spent 27 years of his life in prison for it, negotiated the end of apartheid, and ultimately saved South Africa from a bloody civil war? Stephan Bierling presents the first comprehensively researched biography from a German author. It is based on previously inaccessible documents and conversations with companions and paints an impressive portrait not only of the man.