Novelist Gillian Slovo’s letter to her mother, the anti-apartheid activist, Ruth First. Part of a series in which writers from around the world read letters on the theme of imprisonment, inspired by Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis.

Oscar Wilde was incarcerated in Reading Prison between 1895 and 1897, enduring the Separate System, a harsh penal regime designed to eliminate any contact between prisoners. Wilde’s imprisonment led to one of his last great works - De Profundis, an extended letter to his lover Lord Alfred Douglas written by Wilde in his prison cell.

Gillian Slovo’s novels include Ice Road, Red Dust and 10 Days.

Produced by Barney Rowntree and Jeremy Mortimer
Executive Producer: Joby Waldman

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