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Disraeli: The Victorian Dandy Who Became Prime Minister
To Thomas Carlyle he was "not worth his weight in cold bacon," but, to Queen Victoria, Benjamin Disraeli was "the kindest Minister" she had ever had and a "dear and devoted friend." In this masterly biography by England's "outstanding popular historian" (A.N. Wilson), Christopher Hibbert reveals the personal life of one of the m...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
June 12th 2007
by Palgrave Macmillan
(first published May 30th 2006)
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What an incredibly strange man - I guess I would have been among his detractors in his day. His flamboyent dress, cavalier attitude toward debt, and sheer egotism would have offended. But he was undeniably brilliant - with a WF Buckley-esqe productivity. He wrote a score of decent novels, gave multi-hour speeches without notes, mastered the arcana of British Administration without seeming really very interested in it. The Conservative Party leaders, as a group, couldn't stand him, but really...more
This English politician (1804 - 1881) wrote novels, started as a Radical, ended as a Tory, and gave one of the greatest quotes about politics in a speech in the house of Commons, March 3rd 1845 . "A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy." This was not an insult, he himself being a Tory was a Conservative. A very complex man with a complex mind that loved irony and knew how to use it.
Might have been easier to follow if I had any previous knowledge of Victorian England, but the book doesn't give much background. Kind of disorganized, too.
Sort of the Bill Clinton of 19th-c Britain, except he wrote novels and was more flamboyant and was MP and PM many times.
Although a decent biography of the man himself, this book is ultimately disappointing, as it fails to adequately place Disraeli in the wider historical context. Although his personal life is detailed exquisitely, the details of his political career are glossed over. This often leaves the narrative feeling disconnected. A pity, as he was one of the most fascinating figures of the 19th century, and one of the major inspirations for my own (rather heterodox) conservatism.
BORING
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Michelle
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Christopher Hibbert, MC, FRSL, FRGS (5 March 1924 - 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian and biographer. He has been called "a pearl of biographers" (New Statesman), was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.
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