A view of Winston Churchill, the workings of his historical imagination, and his successes and failures as a statesman. In previous works John Lukacs told the story of Churchill's titanic struggle with Adolf Hitler in the early days of World War II. In this text he turns his attention to Churchill the man and visionary statesman. Each chapter of the book provides a portrait of Churchill. Lukacs treats Churchill's vital relationships with Stalin, Roosevelt and Eisenhower, as well as his complex, farsighted political vision concerning the coming of World War II and the Cold War. Lukacs also assesses Churchill's abilities as a historian looking backward into the origins of the conflicts of which he was so much a part. In addition, the author examines the often contradictory ways Churchill has been perceived by critics and admirers alike. The last chapter is an evocation of the three days Lukacs spent in London attending Churchill's funeral in 1965.

"We are in the presence of one of the most powerful, as well as one of the most learned, minds [of the] century." - Conor Cruise O'Brien