This selection of Mphahlele's own letters has been greatly expanded; it has also been augmented by the addition of letters from Mphahlele's correspondents, among them such luminaries as Langston Hughes and Nadine Gordimer. It seeks to illustrate the networks that shaped Mphahlele's personal and intellectual life, the circuits of intimacy, intellectual inquiry, of friendship, scholarship and solidarity that he created and nurtured over the years. The letters span the period from 1943 to 2006, sixty-three of Mphahlele's mature years and most of his active professional life. The correspondence is accompanied by introductory essays from the two editors, by two interviews conducted with Mphahlele by Manganyi and by Attwell's insightful explanatory notes. N. Chabani Manganyi is a clinical psychologist, biographer and nonfiction writer. David Attwell is professor of modern literature at the University of York, United Kingdom.