Tutu: Authorized - Hardcover

Tutu: Authorized is a celebration of the life of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an icon whose humanity and compassion has touched millions of lives around the world. Born in Klerksdorp, South Africa, Desmond Tutu was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1960. He vigorously opposed apartheid and has dedicated his life to fighting all forms of oppression, advocating nonviolence, peaceful reconciliation, and social justice for all.

This extraordinary book features an authorized biography by legendary South African journalist Allister Sparks and includes never-before-seen interviews by Archbishop Tutu’s daughter, Reverend Mpho A. Tutu, with historical figures who witnessed Tutu’s life and worked alongside him, such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, Kofi Annan, Bono, and Sir Richard Branson, as well as intimate and poignant interviews with his wife, family, and closest friends. Complemented by an unprecedented collection of images and unpublished artifacts drawn from Tutu’s private files, this is a phenomenal story of one man’s extraordinary life and work and will be treasured by all who read it for years to come.

Allister Sparks has been a friend to Desmond Tutu for many decades. He was editor of the Rand Daily Mail and South African correspondent for The Washington Post, The Observer (London), NRC Handelsblad, and The Economist. He was named International Editor of the Year by World Press Review magazine and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting of racial unrest in South Africa during 1985. In 1992 Sparks founded the Institute for Advanced Journalism to upgrade the standard of journalism in South Africa.

The Reverend Mpho A. Tutu is currently the executive director of The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.