Books by Philip Short
“Philip Short is a British journalist and has written a very good one-volume biography of Mao. It’s not short, but Mao’s was a long life. Mao is a difficult person about whom to write a biography. Firstly, not all the facts are known: this is, after all, still a communist country. A lot is known, but the records are not available. Secondly, Mao has been surrounded by so many myths that it’s difficult sometimes to penetrate them. Some of the biographies of Mao…are indictments…They’re written mainly to highlight the monstrous qualities of Mao, which were there in abundance. Short is not writing an indictment—though an indictment of Mao is certainly possible to construct from his volume.” Read more...
The Best Biographies of 20th Century Leaders
Michael Mandelbaum, International Relation
“Short’s account of the French period in Pol Pot’s life is very good. I must say that Short tends to view the whole picture through the lens of French, or Gallicised Khmer intellectuals who were able to give him the kind of narrative he was happy with. I’m not sure if this narrative has led him into the proper places. When he tries to look for causes he starts saying the Cambodians are these dark primitive people, which is not true and is very disdainful. His book is very valuable for sources even though I don’t think his interpretations are that valid in terms of the Khmer.” Read more...
David Chandler, Historian
Interviews where books by Philip Short were recommended
The best books on Cambodia, recommended by David Chandler
David Chandler, one of the foremost western scholars on Cambodian history—and author of the first study of S-21, the Khmer Rouge interrogation centre—recommends the best books on Cambodia.
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1
Woodrow Wilson: A Biography
by John Milton Cooper -
2
Lenin: A Biography
by Robert Service -
3
Mao: The Man Who Made China
by Philip Short -
4
The Hitler of History
by John Lukacs -
5
Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World, 1914-1948
by Ramachandra Guha -
6
A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion
by Tom Segev
The Best Biographies of 20th Century Leaders, recommended by Michael Mandelbaum
The Best Biographies of 20th Century Leaders, recommended by Michael Mandelbaum
The first half of the 20th century was an era when individuals could have a huge impact on the course of history—whether for good or bad, argues political scientist Michael Mandelbaum. He recommends the best biographies to read about the eight world leaders who feature in his latest book, The Titans of the Twentieth Century, from Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) to Mao Zedong (1893-1976).
