Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has been both an icon of the political struggle in South Africa and a controversial and polarising figure. Any adequate biography has to take full account of her complexity as a person, how she has changed over the years, and the historical context of her life. This book offers a refreshing, engaging and nuanced account of Winnie Madikizela- Mandela by examining the ways in which she has been represented over time, and the ways in which she has represented herself: as Nomzamo from Bizana, the beautiful young bride, the political widow, the Mother of the Nation, the radical activist, Lady Macbeth and so on. The evidence shows that she consistently refused to be constrained by an orthodox understanding of the role of women or of a wife or mother. While being attentive to her relationship with Nelson Mandela as both person and idea, the book presents Winnie Madikizela-Mandela as an important political actor in her own right.