The World that was Ours (1967) is Hilda Bernstein's personal account of life in Johannesburg under the oppressive surveillance of the apartheid regime. Hilda and her husband Rusty Bernstein were both detained, along with many others, in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre of 1960. Upon their release, Rusty was placed under house arrest, while Hilda's day-to-day activities were closely monitored by the Special Branch, if not altogether prohibited. Her memoir recalls these fraught years in the build-up to the landmark Rivonia Trial, the events and ordeals of the Trial itself, and finally the couple's reluctant decision to flee their beloved country in the wake of Rusty's acquittal.
While on the one hand The World that was Ours offers vivid historical insight into the tumultuous climate of Johannesburg in the early 1960s, on the other it reads as a poignant and emotional recollection of the narrator's personal dilemmas, as a mother, a wife and a political activist, torn between her private and public responsibilities. 'This has survived as a South African classic,' wrote Anthony Sampson in the Spectator, 'not just because it's beautifully written, but because it conveys the combination of ordinariness and danger which is implicit in any totalitarian state.'
world, that, ours, world, that, ours, 1967, hilda, bernstein, personal, account, life, johannesburg, under, oppressive, surveillance, apartheid, regime, hilda, husband, rusty, bernstein, were, both, detained, along, with, many, others, aftermath, sharpeville, . The World that was Ours 1967 is Hilda Bernstein s personal account of life in Johannesburg under the oppressive surveillance of the apartheid regime Hilda and her husband Rusty Bernstein were both detained along with many others in the aftermath of the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 Upon their release Rusty was placed under house arrest while Hilda s day to day activities were closely monitored by the Special Branch if not altogether prohibited Her memoir recalls these fraught years in the build up to the landmark Rivonia Trial the events and ordeals of the Trial itself and finally the couple s reluctant decision to flee their beloved country in the wake of Rusty s acquittal The World that was OursPersephone Books edition cover 2009AuthorHilda BernsteinCover artistWalter BattissCountrySouth AfricaLanguageEnglishGenrePolitical MemoirPublisherPersephone BooksPublication dateFirst Published in 1967 by HeinemannMedia typePrint Softback ISBN978 1 906462 09 3OCLC261175872While on the one hand The World that was Ours offers vivid historical insight into the tumultuous climate of Johannesburg in the early 1960s on the other it reads as a poignant and emotional recollection of the narrator s personal dilemmas as a mother a wife and a political activist torn between her private and public responsibilities This has survived as a South African classic wrote Anthony Sampson in the Spectator not just because it s beautifully written but because it conveys the combination of ordinariness and danger which is implicit in any totalitarian state The World that was Ours is dedicated to the men of Rivonia Nelson Mandela Walter Sisulu Ahmed Kathrada Denis Goldberg Govan Mbeki Elias Motsoaledi Andrew Mlangeni and Rusty Bernstein as well as to their devoted counsel Bram Fischer External links editA Review by Moira Richards www womenwriters net Hilda Bernstein Pictures at Lionel Rusty Bernstein South African freedom fighter tribute website The World that was Ours at Persephone Books nbsp This article about a non fiction book on Apartheid in South Africa is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The World That Was Ours amp oldid 1084906990, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
