The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law

Awards:   Winner of Alan Paton Award 2010 Winner of Alan Paton Award 2010.
Author:   Albie Sachs (formerly a Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
ISBN:  

9780199571796


Pages:   320
Publication Date:   11 June 2009
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Awaiting stock   Availability explained


Our Price $66.00 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law


Add your own review!

Awards

  • Winner of Alan Paton Award 2010
  • Winner of Alan Paton Award 2010.

Overview

From a young age Albie Sachs played a prominent part in the struggle for justice in South Africa. As a result he was detained in solitary confinement, tortured by sleep deprivation and eventually blown up by a car bomb which cost him his right arm and the sight of an eye. His experiences provoked an outpouring of creative thought on the role of law as a protector of human dignity in the modern world, and a lifelong commitment to seeing a new era of justice established in South Africa. After playing an important part in drafting South Africa's post-apartheid Constitution, he was appointed by Nelson Mandela to be a member of the country's first Constitutional Court. Over the course of his fifteen year term on the Court he has grappled with the major issues confronting modern South Africa, and the challenges posed to the fledgling democracy as it sought to overcome the injustices of the apartheid regime. As his term on the Court approaches its end, Sachs here conveys in intimate fashion what it has been like to be a judge in these unique circumstances, how his extraordinary life has influenced his approach to the cases before him, and his views on the nature of justice and its achievement through law. The book provides unique access to an insider's perspective on modern South Africa, and a rare glimpse into the working of a judicial mind. By juxtaposing life experiences and extracts from judgments, Sachs enables the reader to see the complex and surprising ways in which legal culture transforms subjective experience into objectively reasoned decisions. With rare candour he tells of the difficulties he has when preparing a judgment, of how every judgment is a lie. Rejecting purely formal notions of the judicial role he shows how both reason and passion (concern for protecting human dignity) are required for law to work in the service of justice.

Full Product Details

Author:   Albie Sachs (formerly a Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 14.70cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 22.40cm
Weight:   0.519kg
ISBN:  

9780199571796


ISBN 10:   0199571791
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   11 June 2009
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock   Availability explained

Table of Contents

Preface; Prologue; 1. Tales of Terrorism and Torture; 2. Tock-Tick: The Working of a Judicial Mind; 3. A Man Called Henri: Truth, Reconciliation, and Justice; 4. Reason and Passion; 5. Laughing Matters; 6. Reason and Judgment; 7. The Judge Who Cried: The Judicial Enforcement of Socio-Economic Rights; 8. Human Dignity and Proportionality; 9. The Secular and the Sacred: The Dual Challenges of Same-sex Marriage; 10. The Beginning and the End; Epilogue and Thanks

Reviews

Dazzlingly honest and original mind. Nadine Gordimer, TLS


Author Information

Albie Sachs is a Justice on the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

Aorrng

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List