“I Only Read for Pleasure or Profit”
Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill: A Brief Account of a Long Life
Ballantine Books; 307 pp.; $22.95
At least, so uttered Winston Churchill in a heated argument, when Lord Londonberry asked him, “Have you read my latest book?”
Churchill is one of the most chronicled men of the 20th century, with over 650 biographies available, many of them multiple volumes. And why not—twice Prime Minister, a member of the British War Cabinet during both World Wars, war correspondent, Nobel laureate in literature, prisoner of war (and, later, an escapee) in the Boer War; the list goes on and on. So, why another biography?
Ms. Rubin explains her motivation:
I decided to write a biography that would make my case for Churchill but also press the opposing arguments—a biography that would convey the ambiguities of his character and reputation as well as the elementary themes of his life. Was he a great champion of democracy, or not? Was he an alcoholic, or not? I would present both arguments. That way, the biography could give the reader a perspective usually only gained by reading ten biographies, with their contrasting viewpoints.
This approach is seen throughout the book, pointedly so in such chapters as “Churchill and Roosevelt: Friends as Well as Allies?” and “Churchill as Husband: A Happy Marriage?.”
Ms. Rubin approaches the man from seemingly every possible direction—he is examined as an imperialist, as a failed statesman, as a literary tragic hero. At times, the approaches are a bit blunt: a timeline, a laundry list of famous quips and quotations, even a true/false quiz. Throughout, the reader’s assumptions are questioned.
Certainly, any biography is going to stress some facts and diminish or omit others. And in a mere 307 pages—243 in the main text—plenty of facts are omitted here. Still, the editorializing inherent in the art of biography is diminished. Ms. Rubin explains:
Layers of fact pile higher and higher, and each additional fact may change the picture of the subject. A biographer’s choice to highlight or dismiss certain episodes—controversial, offensive, or poignant—can vividly color a portrait. Readers unfamiliar with the subject’s life are blind to the artful selection that’s taking place.
If you’re looking for an exhaustive biography of Winston Churchill, this book is not the answer. If you’re looking for a starting point, it is adequate to this pursuit—his life is covered, generally, in its entirety and can provide some perspective for other readings. End notes and a selected bibliography are included to steer you to more comprehensive texts.
The book shines, though, when considered as a treatise on the art & science of biography using Winston Churchill only for illustrations. Well-written and concise, Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill may well become a classic treatise for historians. If you’re interested in biography—reading or writing—this book will deconstruct the process and really broaden your understanding of the process. You’ll definitely be reading for pleasure rather than profit.