Media24 Books Literary Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (2009) Winner
Tony Leon
トニー・レオン
Tonī Reon
Aliases:
Anthony James Leon
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1956-12-15 （Durban）
- Nationality
- South Africa
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- Durban → Johannesburg → Cape Town → Buenos Aires (during ambassadorship)
Career
- Occupations
- Politician, Diplomat, Lawyer, Author, Businessman, Activist
- Active Years
- 1974-2024
- Affiliations
- Democratic Alliance (DA), Democratic Party (DP), Progressive Federal Party (PFP)
- Memberships
- Progressive Party, Progressive Reform Party
- Influenced By
- Harry Schwarz, Helen Suzman
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of the Witwatersrand | Faculty of Law | Law Department | Attorney | 1978-1982 | South Africa |
| Kearsney College | — | High School | — | — | South Africa |
University of the Witwatersrand
Faculty of Law
/ Law Department
Degree:
Attorney
Period:
1978-1982
Year of Graduation:
1982
Country:
South Africa
President of the Law Students' Council, lecturer in Law Department
Kearsney College
High School
Country:
South Africa
Boarding school
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Recht Malan Prize | On the Contrary | ノンフィクション | Via Afrika Book Awards (Media24 Books Literary Awards) | Winner |
Recht Malan Prize
2009
Work:
On the Contrary
Category:
ノンフィクション
Organization:
Via Afrika Book Awards (Media24 Books Literary Awards)
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Hope & Fear: Reflections of a Democrat
1998 Non-fictionReflections on South Africa's transition to democracy.
DemocracyAnti-apartheid
On the Contrary: Leading the Opposition in a Democratic South Africa
2008 AutobiographyAutobiography as opposition leader.
PoliticsDemocracy
The Accidental Ambassador: From Parliament to Patagonia
2013 MemoirMemoir of ambassadorship.
DiplomacySouth Africa
Opposite Mandela: Encounters with South Africa's Icon
2014 Non-fictionEncounters with Mandela from opposition view.
MandelaPolitical opposition
Future Tense: Reflections on My Troubled Land
2021 Political commentaryReflections on South Africa's challenges.
CorruptionPolitics
Being There: Backstories from the Political Front
2025 Non-fictionBackstories from politics including GNU formation.
Coalition governmentPolitical history
Bibliography
- Hope & Fear: Reflections of a Democrat
- On the Contrary
- The Accidental Ambassador
- Opposite Mandela
- Future Tense
- Being There
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Eloquent and funnyFrank and vigorous
- Recurring Motifs
- DemocracyPost-apartheid South AfricaOpposition politics
Legacy
Longest-serving leader of the opposition in democratic South Africa, led DA, vocal critic of ANC, author awarded literary prize for non-fiction.
In Popular Culture
- Ranked 16th in SABC3's Great South Africans
Trivia
- Of Jewish descent.
- Had Bar Mitzvah at Durban's Great Synagogue.
- Father was a High Court Judge.