Roy Jenkins, who has combined careers both as a successful author and politician, has written a sweeping, 912 page one volume biography of Sir Winston Churchill, the "Greatest Englishman."
This begs the question, do we really need another Churchill biography? After all, we have the eight volume "official" biography, begun, with two volumes, by his son Randolph, the remaining six written by Martin Gilbert. Gilbert also produced a dutiful one volume summation. We have two volumes out of a projected three by William Manchester, unfortunately not finished because of Manchester's failing health.
But that is just to scratch the surface. There is a perceptive and competent biography by his life-long friend, Violet Bonham Carter, the diaries of his physician, Lord Moran, and the diaries of his long-time private secretary, John Colville. There is even a revisionist biography, by John Charmley. Churchill said that history would treat him kindly, because he intended to write it. This he accomplished in his six volume history of the Second World War and in autobiographical accounts of his early military exploits. After his three (eventually four) volume account of World War One was published, Arthur Balfour said, "Winston has written a great [in size] book about himself and called it 'The World Crisis.'"
Despite this, Jenkins' volume is enormously welcome. His is likely the last biography to be written by someone who knew him, or at least had met him, served with him in Parliment, and as a major political figure himself, though in a later era, understands the political and Parlimentary atmosphere in which Churchill lived. His biography is the best political appreciation of Churchill career that we are likely to get, political in the sense of understanding how Churchill rose and (often) fell in Parlimentary esteem, how Churchill operated in the cabinet and how he connected (or failed to connect) with the British electorate.
Jenkins is also not afraid to summarize the principal points of a period in Churchill's career, rather than wade through a chronological approach to political problems now too distant from us to have much meaning. He also will offer judgments on the success or failure of Churchill's policies, unlike Gilbert, who is non-judgmental in the extreme. He is perhaps too harsh on Churchill over The Dardanelles campaign of World War I, a great failure but at minimum an inventive effort to avoid more pointless casualities on the Western front. He is skillful in weaving in Churchill's various illnesses and physical declines to explain how the aging warrior became less effective in later years.
The book is extremely well written. If Jenkins is a lesser politician than his subject, he is also a better writer, the author of splendid biographies of such figures as Gladstone and Asquith. These literary gifts are matched with an encyclopedic knowledge of modern history, so that he is able to draw illuminating comparisons. Even to himself. Noting that Churchill dined often with Lloyd George when the latter was Prime Minister in the early 1920's, Jenkins notes in a footnote that as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Wilson cabinet, apart from officials banquets he never had a meal with the Prime Minister.
I note quibbles in other reviews of this book that it is "too English," both in content and style. I would defend the author on both scores. Although there is the occasional reference that falls deaf to American ears, this is a serious biography with a significant level of detail. It does help to have read something about the man and the period as background. But to have denuded the book of this information would have made it a much poorer thing. I would also defend Jenkins' style, which is graceful if sometimes convoluted. To the reviewer who only got started on the book, I would say, go back and give it another shot. You will get used to the language and will be better for the experience. All literature should not be reduced to the level of John Grisham or Stephen King.
I think a more telling criticism is that we read the book and are enlighted, charmed, educated, but...do we ever see the "man in full"? We are tantalized with bits of information about his relationship with his wife, Clementine (why is she always vacationing separately?), but without any real explication of their marriage. There are references to his periods of depression, the "black dog," but how serious were they? Jenkins is good on Churchill as a writer, as one would expect from a fellow writer, and best on Churchill as a politician. But as fine as this biography is, I would rate Manchester's effort as getting closer to the man. There is, in Manchester's first volume, about a thirty page description (if memory serves) of "a day in the life" of Churchill, which somehow says more about Churchill the man than all of Jenkins' 912 pages. Still, Jenkins has written an extemely valuable and readable effort, the best one volume biography in my opinion, and the best we are ever likely to see of Churchill in his political role.
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Dr. Tim Parker
The best oft he Churchill biographies, although not a trivial reading exercise.
Reviewed in Canada on March 17, 2016
