β[An] elegant biographyβ of the British statesmanβs accomplished and controversial life and career: βA fast-moving, entertaining and finely written storyβ (Simon Schama, The New Yorker).
George Nathaniel Curzonβs controversial life in public service stretched from the high noon of his countryβs empire to the traumatized years following World War I. As Viceroy of India under Queen Victoria and Foreign Secretary under King George V, the obsessive Lord Curzon left his unmistakable mark on the era. David Gilmourβs award-winning bookβwith a new foreword by the authorβis a brilliant assessment of Curzonβs character and achievements, offering a richly dramatic account of the infamous long vendettas, the turbulent friendships, and the passionate, risky love affairs that complicated and enriched his life.
Born into the ruling class of what was then the worldβs greatest power, Curzon was a fervent believer in British imperialism who spent his life proving he was fit for the task. Often seen as arrogant and tempestuous, he was loathed as much as he was adored, his work disparaged as much as it was admired. In Gilmourβs well-rounded appraisal, Curzon emerges as a complex, tragic figure, a gifted leader who saw his imperial world overshadowed at the dawn of democracy.
βA Superb New Biography . . . A Tragic Story, Brilliantly Told.β βAndrew Roberts, Literary Review