Mr. Churchill's Profession

Is it possible to offer a fresh perspective on a figure as familiar as Winston Churchill? Distinguished historian Peter Clarke shows the answer is yes. When Churchill received the Nobel Prize in 1953, it was not for his role as a world leader, but for his literature. In fact, Churchill was a gifted and successful writer long before he was a politician, publishing a stream of books and articles over the course of his life. In this engaging and revealing new narrative, Clarke traces the making of the magisterial work that occupied Churchill for a quarter century, his four-volume History of the English-Speaking Peoples.

Churchill signed the contract for History in 1932, at a time when his political career seemed over. His stunning return to power when the Nazis swept across Europe meant the book went uncompleted until the 1950s. But long before he took office, the massive project was shaping his worldview, his speeches, and his leadership: This was the work that defined the "special relationship" between Britain and America. In Mr. Churchill's Profession, Peter Clarke explores an untold chapter in history and offers an intimate new portrait of an iconic leader.