Disraeli: or, The Two Lives - Rilegato

Hurd Of Westwell CH CBE PC, The Rt Hon Lord Douglas; Young, Edward

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0297860976 ISBN 13: 9780297860976

Casa editrice: W&N, 2013

Riassunto

Benjamin Disraeli was the most gifted parliamentarian of the nineteenth century. A superb orator, writer and wit, he twice rose to become Prime Minister, dazzling many with his famous epigrams along the way.
But how much do we really know about the man behind the words? How did this bankrupt Jewish school dropout and trashy novelist reach the top of the Victorian Conservative Party? And why does his reputation continue to have such a hold over British politics today?
In this engaging reassessment, Douglas Hurd and Edward Young explore the paradoxes at the centre of Disraeli's 'two lives': a dandy and gambler on the one hand, a devoted servant and favourite Prime Minister of the Queen on the other. A passionately ambitious politician, he intrigued and manoeuvred with unmatched skill to get to - in his own words - 'the top of the greasy pole', but he also developed a set of ideas to which he was devoted. His political achievements are never quite what they seem: he despised the idea of a more classless society, he never used the phrase 'One Nation', and although he passed the Second Reform Act he was no believer in democracy.
By stripping away the many myths which surround his career, Douglas Hurd and Edward Young bring alive the true genius of Disraeli in this wonderfully entertaining exploration of his life.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

Were the hatchet a less brutal tool, this gripping, succinct and lethal book would deserve the name of hatchet job. The authors get right inside their subject and stay there; this is where their work is done; and, before the reader's eyes and wholly unassaulted, Benjamin Disraeli dies from the inside. Disraeli was not a "one-nation" politician. He neither used the phrase nor implied the idea. Hurd and Young bring to life his wishful dream of the order of things that he had himself mythologised, and wished to protect: nobility, breeding, monarchy, finery, feasting, good-looking young men and grand old ladies. (Matthew Parris THE TIMES)

Twice a prime minister and a dazzling parliamentarian, Disraeli was actually motivated by fame and was barely a democrat, according to this fascinating character study. (BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH)

The virtue of Douglas Hurd and Edward Young's sparkling new study lies in its succinctness and the analytical skills of its authors (FINANCIAL MAIL (South Africa))

The great Victorian prime minister Benjamin Disraeli has become a political football lately, with Ed Miliband and David Cameron both staking claims to his 'One Nation' legacy. But as Douglas Hurd and Edward Young show, he never even used the phrase. Disraeli's faults and virtues are carefully examined in this hugely impressive biography. (IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY)

Former British Foreign Secretary, Douglas Hurd, and British Prime Minister David Cameron's former speech writer Edward Young vividly bring to life Disraeli's persona in their book Disraeli or Two Lives... The book has wonderful anecdotes especially to do with Disraeli's colourful private life... He made politics interesting, colourful and engaging and that is why Disraeli is one of those few British politicians whose life story has been chronicled by Hollywood (THE TIMES OF ISRAEL)

What distinguishes this volume is its accessibility and clear-sightedness. (Dominic Sandbrook SUNDAY TIMES)

An engaging reassessment of the paradoxes at the heart of Disraeli's "two lives": a dandy and a gambler on the one had, a devoted servant and favourite of Queen Victoria on the other. (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)

Disraeli's faults and virtues are carefully examined in this hugely impressive biography (THE MAIL ON SUNDAY)

superb and sometimes hilarious... It is a piece of calculated and deft iconoclasm, and so intoxicating that you will find yourself snorting it up in one go, as I did, with great pleasure... I ended the book reverencing Disraeli even more than when I began it (Boris Johnson THE MAIL ON SUNDAY)

this gripping, succinct and lethal book... is simply and beautifully written and always entertaining (Matthew Parris THE TIMES)

Descrizione del libro:

A reappraisal of the life of the most celebrated and colourful 19th-century politician.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: W&N
• Data di pubblicazione: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0297860976
• ISBN 13: 9780297860976
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 320