Putin
The explosive and extraordinary new biography of Russia's leader
Published on 4. May 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
880 pages
978-1-78470-093-5 (ISBN)
Description
'A perfect mirror to its subject... should be compulsory reading' Observer
Vladimir Putin is a pariah to the West.
He has the power to reduce the West to nuclear ashes. He invades his neighbours, meddles in western elections and orders assassinations. His regime is autocratic and corrupt. Yet many Russians continue to support him. Under Putin's leadership, Russia has once again become a force to be reckoned with.
Philip Short's magisterial biography explores in unprecedented depth the personality of Russia's leader and demolishes many of our preconceptions about Putin's Russia.
To explain is not to justify. Putin's regime is dark. But on closer examination, much of what we think we know about him turns out to rest on half-truths. This book is as close as we will come to understanding Russia's ruler.
'Short's pushback against lazy, convenient myth-making is refreshing' The Times
'Elegantly written and pacy' Financial Times
'Extensively covers the dark moments of Putin's career.... The Putin of Short's book is not someone you would invite to dinner' New York Times
Vladimir Putin is a pariah to the West.
He has the power to reduce the West to nuclear ashes. He invades his neighbours, meddles in western elections and orders assassinations. His regime is autocratic and corrupt. Yet many Russians continue to support him. Under Putin's leadership, Russia has once again become a force to be reckoned with.
Philip Short's magisterial biography explores in unprecedented depth the personality of Russia's leader and demolishes many of our preconceptions about Putin's Russia.
To explain is not to justify. Putin's regime is dark. But on closer examination, much of what we think we know about him turns out to rest on half-truths. This book is as close as we will come to understanding Russia's ruler.
'Short's pushback against lazy, convenient myth-making is refreshing' The Times
'Elegantly written and pacy' Financial Times
'Extensively covers the dark moments of Putin's career.... The Putin of Short's book is not someone you would invite to dinner' New York Times
Reviews / Votes
Magisterial... based on access to a Who's Who of senior politicians, diplomats and intelligence sources. * Guardian * An exhaustive profile * Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year* * Exceptional... unlikely to be matched as a study of the man... It is readable, judicious, critical but balanced and focused on Putin the person rather than on the Putin regime * The Irish Times * [A] revealing and compellingly granular biography * Times Literary Supplement * Anyone wanting to learn more about Putin's personality, ideas, power and the threat he has come to pose to world peace should read this outstanding biography -- Ian Kershaw A masterly portrait of one of the most calculating and impenetrable individuals on the world stage * Irish Independent * As a chronicle of Putin's public doings, the book is near faultless... [with] some sharply worded insights * The Times * A perfect mirror to its subject... This new biography should be compulsory reading * Observer * Philip Short's timely new biography ... provides a comprehensive, extensively researched account of Putin's life, in the process debunking some of the more tenacious cliches about the Russian leader * New Statesman * Short brings to this project extensive research and fluid prose. This book is comprehensive in the best sense, a detailed and meticulous chronicle of Putin's life * Literary Review *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 55 mm
Weight
670 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78470-093-5 (9781784700935)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2022
Vintage Digital
€12.99
Available for download
Person
Philip Short is the author of acclaimed biographies of Pol Pot, Mao Zedong and Francois Mitterrand. He worked for ten years as the BBC's Paris correspondent and lives in France.