Meet Simon Sebag Montefiore in Johannesburg on May 21

Acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore selects over one hundred letters from ancient times to the twenty-first century: some are noble and inspiring, some despicable and unsettling; some are exquisite works of literature, others brutal, coarse and frankly outrageous; many are erotic, others heartbreaking.

The writers vary from Elizabeth I, Rameses the Great and Leonard Cohen to Emmeline Pankhurst, Mandela, Stalin, Michelangelo, Suleiman the Magnificent and unknown people in extraordinary circumstances - from love letters to calls for liberation, declarations of war to reflections on death.

In the colourful, accessible style of a master storyteller, Montefiore shows why these letters are essential reading: how they enlighten our past, enrich the way we live now - and illuminate tomorrow.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Tuesday, May 12 (6pm for 6.30pm)

Venue: Love Books, The Bamboo Lifestyle Centre, 53 Rustenburg Rd, Melville

Guest speaker: Dr Khumisho Moguerane

RSVP: kate@lovebooks.co.za

• Article provided by Jonathan Ball Publishers