Mandela book offers his personal portrait

JOHANNESBURG - Nelson Mandela failing classes, fussing over his children, fighting with his wife.

This is not the anti-apartheid icon of Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela's 1995 autobiography. Conversations with Myself, which goes on sale on Tuesday in 22 countries and 20 languages from Catalan to Turkish, presents a more human Mandela, faults, frailties and all.

Conversations was compiled with the 92-year-old former South African president's blessing by a team of archivists, editors and collaborators who worked from decades of notes, letters, recorded conversations and other material.