Curzon: Imperial Statesman

by David Gilmour

"Elegant biography . . . a fast-moving, entertaining, and finely written story." --Simon Schama, The New Yorker

George Nathaniel Curzon's controversial life in public service stretched from the high noon of his country's empire to the traumatized years following World War I. As viceroy of India under Queen Victoria and foreign secretary under King George V, the obsessive Lord Curzon left his unmistakable mark on the era. David Gilmour's award-winning book is a brilliant assessment of Curzon's character and achievements, offering a richly dramatic account of the infamous long vendettas, the turbulent friendships, and the passionate, risky love affairs that complicated and enriched his life.

Born into the ruling class of what was then the world's greatest power, Curzon was a fervent believer in British imperialism who spent his life proving he was fit for the task. Often seen as arrogant and tempestuous, he was loathed as much as he was adored, his work disparaged as much as it was admired. In Gilmour's well-rounded appraisal, Curzon is seen as a complex, tragic figure, a gifted leader who saw his imperial world overshadowed at the dawn of democracy.

Genres: Biography, History, India, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

704 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sir David Robert Gilmour, 4th Baronet is a Scottish author. He is the first son of Ian Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar, 3rd Baronet, and Lady Caroline Margaret Montagu-Douglas-Scott, the youngest daughter of the 8th Duke of Buccleuch. HRH Princess Margaret was his sponsor at his Christening. He became the 4th baronet on the death of his father in 2007.

Gilmour was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford.

Gilmour is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL).

He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and four children.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

They Don’t Make them Like they Used to

I recently watched an interview with the great historian Andrew Roberts who was sat in his home study in front of his bookshelf. I paused the video and studied his bookshelf and saw Sir David Gilmour’s Curzon: Imperial Statesman. Curzon is always someone I had heard of as a student of history, but I knew almost nothing about him, he was a Viceroy and…that was the extent of my knowledge.

Curzon: Imperial Statesman was first published in 1995, but is still in print with multiple editions. It’s easy to see why. This has everything you could want from a historical biography, the social and political backdrop, good writing and well built arguments. I really got a sense of the man, every angle is throughly addressed, his abilities, shortcomings, his public and private life. What colleagues, friends, family and contemporaries thought of him. How he was as a person, a father, a son, a husband and a schoolboy. What interested him, what his goals, outlook and views were. His personality traits and defects, what he did for fun, how he dressed and what he thought of telephones. It’s all here.

My view is that Curzon is someone of immense talent and ability who did not quite live up to his potential. His rise to the summit was perhaps prevented by himself. He could make decisions (often difficult but seemly with great foresight and understanding of their context) and had ideas, which often proved to be correct. However, he appeared to say the right thing in the wrong way offending people. He was widely misunderstood, hounded by the press, (even more so buy the conservative press!) and often overlooked. He was judged negatively by people who never met him and were pleasantly surprised the rumours were exaggerated and he was certainly missed when he died prematurely and suddenly at 66 years old.

Curzon: Imperial Statesman really gave an insight into to rapacious and repugnant nature of politicians, who did often do everything they can for their own gain. Many famous figures are here who disappoint, frustrate and backstab Curzon. Greats such as Viscount Haldane, Sir Edward Grey and Churchill, alongside less likeable characters such as Lloyd George or Baldwin all feature in this poignant story.

Curzon: Imperial Statesman is very readable, I flew through the 601 pages in just over a week. The book is well presented, following a classic chronological order (the only way to write books like this for me) with more thematic chapters slotted in a certain points throughout the book. They are not overbearing and there aren’t very many of them, but they essential in tying up important aspects, such as his relations with his family. Overall this is an excellent piece of historical work and well worth the time and energy to read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Gilmour’s “Curzon: Imperial Statesman” is a superbly detailed biography of a great and complex leader. It is also a survey—maybe two or three of Great Britain, the Middle East, notably Persia, and colonial India. Moreover, it is the history of an era and the history of Great Britain’s role during that time. Finally, it is a small personal genealogical revelation.

I have found that in the search of history, one may go to a survey of all history as in Arnold Toynbee's "A Study of History" or Will and Ariel Durant's "The Story of C ivilization” or "History of Western Civilization: A Handbook" by a professor of mine,William H. McNeill, at the University of Chicago. Then one should turn next to a history of a particular time such as the trilogy “Byzantium” by Sir John Julius Norwich, then perhaps to the history of a country such as “The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding” by Robert Hughes. One can round out one’s knowledge of history by reading biographies, which are highly interesting, such as “Hitler” by Ian Kershaw, or movements such as those in art again by Australian Robert Hughes. The last stage of history would be that of your own through genealogy.

You need the general survey, but then you need to delve into interstices of the tapestry of the story of ourselves. If you want to bring your study to as personal a level as possible then you need to study your own genealogy. It doesn’t matter which order after your survey. History is interesting and is fun and is necessary. (I am often dumbfounded by the fog most people live in, because they have no interest in the history of anything.)

I never knew who my paternal great grandmother was, and I had only a thread of information passed down to me. I took a DNA test when that first came out with National Geographic teamed up with IBM to form the Genographic Project. My DNA results led me to find that I had a distant cousin on my father’s side named Grace Elvina Hinds, who was the widow of Afredo Duggan, a rich Irish-Argentinian rancher. She met Lord Curzon, who had been Viceroy of India and who, when they married, became Great Britain’s Foreign Secretary right after WWI. This was so interesting to me that I decided to read “Curzon: Imperial Statesman” to see how Grace Hinds fit in.

Curzon was descended from nobility whose recorded paternal line in “The Peerage” could be traced all the way back to the Middle Ages. Curzon was a true aristocrat who championed democratic ideals for the most part.

A champion of British colonialism also, Curzon helped shape the world we have today. Yet, I did not find him very likeable, as many also did not. He was a nervous, energetic, pedantic person but possessed a brilliant mind.

Grace, 19 years younger than Lord Curzon, became pregnant 3 or 4 times by him, because he wanted an heir. He loved her in his way while not busy in his office or building a palatial estate. She, on the other hand, perhaps unfairly, was considered an intellectual lightweight, but very beautiful, very kind and gracious as a hostess. She was also very fond of music by the masters, however. Grace tries to tell her story in “Reminiscences," which I’ve read and reviewed on Goodreads.com.

Now, that I know a little more about my distant cousin, I will read about Curzon’s love of his life, his first wife, Mary Leiter, who died in her thirties, and their three daughters, who were reportedly rude and mean to Curzon in his advanced years.

Grace had to step into Mary Leiter's shoes when George made her his second wife. Next I intend to read about those 3 daughters and how they considered their step-sister, Marcella Duggan, Grace's daughter by her first husband, Alfredo Duggan; hence another distant cousin. By the way, Alfred Duggan and Hubert Duggan, both sons of Grace Hinds, were notable in British high society--Alfred a well-regarded historical novelist and Hubert a politician and war hero, up until modern times. I shall be reading about them as well.

I learned much about the Raj, how Britain functioned in her colonies, how Parliamentary politics worked at that time, how a great leader and one of the United Kingdom's most intelligent statesmen led his country but became stymied by his own ambition. Too, how the ambitions of democratic leaders lead to petty infighting and how military heroes, such as Kitchener, can easily become as tarnished as the brass they wear.

Also, I learned that the television series, “Downton Abbey” shot in Highclere Castle and the Lord of the manor, Crawley, all resembled the lives and environs of the Curzons in England. Therefore, I believe that my claim is correct that genealogy and biography make excellent portals to acquiring an understanding of history and of ourselves.

[Charles Haywood]

“Curzon” is one of those typically British biographies of dead political figures. Such biographies tend to go into great detail not just about the protagonist, but about long-forgotten political issues fought among long-forgotten men. If you are interested in the protagonist, or the period, this can be excellent, as long as the writing is good, and Gilmour’s is good. But if you’re looking for an objectively thrilling read, you should stay away.

Before I read this book, I only knew vaguely of George Curzon, primarily for the so-called Curzon Line, which is not even mentioned in this very long book. (The Curzon Line was the line proposed by Curzon after World War I as the border between Bolshevik Russia and newly reconstituted Poland.) But Curzon did a lot more than draw borders during his workaholic life. He is today regarded, when remembered, as a man of tremendous early promise and gifts, undermined by perceived and real defects of personality, who never reached the heights he expected. Curzon, among other offices, served as a highly successful Viceroy of India (1899-1905), and was expected to be Prime Minister—but never was.

Gilmour explores all of these aspects of Curzon with a gimlet eye but with a fundamentally positive outlook on his subject. Apparently in the mid-twentieth century Curzon’s reputation suffered greatly at the hands of biased biographies, and in large part Gilmour’s book seems to be an effort to rehabilitate Curzon, while remaining realistic about his shortcomings.

Like Winston Churchill, but more so, Curzon was fundamentally an unreconstructed Victorian. He lived from 1859 to 1925, but never really adapted to the new, shifting realities of British domestic policies. During his career, from my limited understanding, leading British political opinion started to shift against Empire. Not that anyone at that time advocated ending the Empire, but the old Kipling-esque White Man’s Burden was no longer universally accepted, and flexible, calculating men shifted and calibrated their positions in light of the need to reduce the Empire’s commitments—especially after World War I. Curzon was incapable of such fluidity—he was extremely knowledgeable and extremely used to being a leading debater on all issues about which he cared, but he tended to plow straight ahead in predictable ways, refusing to trim his position and rejecting political intrigue. This did not always serve him well, and he was further harmed by a complete inability to appreciate the uses of press manipulation.

Curzon was born on the same estate his family had owned for more than 700 years. He did not regard this wholly as showing virtue—as he said, “No family could have remained in possession of the same estate since the twelfth century had they manifested the very slightest energy or courage.” And the family’s motto, “Let Curzon hold what Curzon held” backs this up. Curzon himself, though, showed nothing but energy and courage.

He followed a typical course of the British aristocracy of the Victorian age—Eton, followed by Oxford (Balliol), followed immediately by government service. Unlike most British aristocrats, however, he was fantastically well-traveled, and regarded from a young age as the country’s leading expert on the entire East. While a young man, he traveled extensively throughout the Middle East (Persia, Mesopotamia, Central Asia; Afghanistan); Russia; Korea; China; Japan. Among other achievements, he discovered one source of the Oxus River (an ice cave in the Wakhjir Pass near the Chinese border, apparently). Then he wrote numerous ponderous but very highly regarded books on the areas in which he traveled. Not for Curzon limiting himself to a Grand Tour of Europe—in fact, he visited Europe little, and Ireland, where he was a peer, not at all.

Curzon’s public career began in 1886; for fifteen years he served in Parliament and in a variety of foreign-policy-related government offices (while simultaneously traveling and writing as outlined above). What struck me most was Curzon’s dealing, through his entire adult life, with notable physical disabilities, while at the same time working hours that would have killed most men. As a teenager he suffered a back injury that required frequent wearing of a metal body cage to prevent collapse (giving him a reputation for stiffness and exacerbating his reputation for being pompous). He suffered from chronic insomnia, neuritis and phlebitis, each of which kept him sick in bed for weeks, if not months, every year. Yet year after year he ground on, incapable of doing anything but working, and working at the very highest level of output.

Curzon was convinced that all great men were detail men, from Alexander the Great, to Wellington, to himself. He refused to delegate even the most trivial of matters and spent inordinate time while Viceroy doing tasks like re-writing subordinates’ memoranda to fix their grammar and phrasing. Doubtless much of this was not necessary—Wellington, as Curzon knew, was a detail man in planning war, not in pedantry. But Curzon’s nature was, as he said, “if you wanted a thing done a particular war the only plan was to do it yourself.” The truth probably lies somewhere in between, but closer to Curzon. The idea that a truly great person can be primarily a delegator is a myth. So, for example, Steve Jobs was a detail person, and a great businessperson. Jack Welch was a delegator, and a grossly overrated man. All, or nearly all, great entrepreneurs, and for that matter all great leaders in any context, are workaholic detail people. I can’t think of a single exception—for example, Julius Caesar was criticized for his habit of dictating business correspondence during social dinners. Such people may not be great company or great family men—but they get things done.

From 1899 to 1905 Curzon was Viceroy of India, in which role he was immensely successful, and widely respected (if not always agreed with) by both native Indians and British. He demanded that criminal justice be equally applied, which was far from a universal British position. He took a particular interest in restoration of Indian historical monuments, such as the Taj Mahal (in fact, Nehru, not exactly a fan of British India, remarked “After every other Viceroy has been forgotten, Curzon will be remembered because he restored all that was beautiful in India.”) Ultimately Curzon was driven out as Viceroy, in the middle of his second-five year term, by the intrigues of the odious and largely incompetent Herbert Kitchener, then Commander-In-Chief in India, with whom Curzon clashed on the degree of power to be accorded to Kitchener. All this was played out in the British papers, which Kitchener played to the extent that Curzon was widely viewed as defective (again, not helped by Curzon’s habit of acting superior, and his inability to conduct his own press manipulation).

Upon return to England, Curzon did not receive the honors traditionally accorded to any Viceroy, much less a successful Viceroy. This was because of various shifting political sands and Curzon’s inability to navigate them—partially bad luck and partially bad management. Although he joined the House of Lords, for nearly ten years he did little of political impact. In 1915, however, he joined Asquith’s government, serving under him, then Lloyd George and Bonar Law during and after the war, in a variety of foreign policy cabinet positions, in frequent conflict with Churchill over matters such as the Dardanelles and British policy in Mesopotamia. In 1923, despite the widespread assumption that he would become Prime Minister upon Law’s resignation, Arthur Balfour was instead appointed, effectively ending Curzon’s career. He died in 1925.

The book spends a good amount of time on Curzon’s personal life, which enlivens the book considerably. Not that Curzon’s personal life was lively in the sense of pleasant; it was up and down, with lots of tragedy and conflict. Gilmour only touches on it in lightly, but Curzon’s children were a gruesome disappointment (although he contributed to his own bad relations with them). He had three daughters, all of whom were highly defective in the spectacular way of the declining British aristocracy after 1930. Two of them were involved with, and one married, Oswald Mosley, the British fascist leader. And the rest of their lives were consumed with various dubious behavior that would have horrified Curzon.

Like all good biographies, this gives a flavor of the times, and like all good biographies, in combination with other knowledge, this gives the reader the ability to analyze other situations better. While aristocrats like Curzon are gone, self-assured, highly knowledgeable men (and women), keenly interested in public service as they see it, are still around (though fewer than there used to be). This book helps the reader understand them, the relations they had with others, and how they affected their times, and then to use that information to assist in understanding the world of today, and tomorrow.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilmour does an excellent job in portraying Curzon as a fully rounded character, unlike the caricature we are used to seeing of the pompous, finnicky, intolerant imperialist who believed he really was a cut above everybody else. That is not to say that those flaws did often appear in the man, and he often made serious enemies of those who came into contact with him because of them. But he was a true believer in his caste and what was in his time the largely prevailing attitude about the British Empire. I doubt I would ever have agreed with him on many points (I always find it difficult to reconcile this idea you sometimes come across that certain members of the landed gentry of England can be described as conservationists when they delighted in slaughtering thousands of birds or a couple of tigers in organised shoots), but he was honest in his beliefs, never a hypocrite, and on the odd occasion was able to see the other side of an argument and even change his mind. And if he did come across as a tetchy, pedantic man then he had good reason at times since he had to wear a steel brace or corset most of his life because of a back problem. I am glad that I have read this book and discovered another side, or even sides, to this man.

[Eleanore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the many monuments he helped restore across the provinces of India, the figure of George Curzon (1859-1925) stands upon the pages of history: striking, evocative, and somewhat the worse for wear. Known as one of the most talented conservative British statesmen of his era - Viceroy of India, Foreign Secretary, and Leader of the House of Lords - the public record bears the imprint of his eloquent rhetoric, as well as his political and organizational accomplishments. However, memory gives far more vocal testament to the imperial arrogance of his manner, the merciless quality of his arguments, and the signal, bitter disappointments of his career: most particularly, his failed battle with Lord Kitchener over the nature of the imperial administration in India and his failure to achieve the position of Prime Minister after World War I.

In this richly detailed biography, David Gilmour draws generously upon family papers, public archives, and recent scholarship to correct the image of Lord Curzon passed down to recent generations, distorted into a cartoon of imperial snobbery and inhuman arrogance. Treating his subject sympathetically yet critically, Gilmour carefully traces those elements that contributed to Curzon’s greatest successes: his intelligence, his diligence and integrity. He keeps a no less keen eye on those qualities that led with almost equal inevitability to his failures: “his air of perfectly infuriating and absolutely imperturbable conceit,” and his combative, relentlessly critical approach to his colleagues that made little distinction between friend and foe. Gilmour examines Curzon’s great accomplishments of statesmanship such as the creation of the North-West Frontier Provinces and the negotiations at Lausanne. With perhaps more enjoyment, Gilmour also gives ample reign to Curzon’s complex personality, particularly his biting wit, such as his characterization of a senior member of the military department as “an obsolete amiable old footler, the concentrated quintessence of a quarter of a century of departmental life.”

In treating the conventional portrait of Curzon as “caricature,” Gilmour’s approach readily lends itself to accusations of defensiveness if not subjectivity. Yet the most skillful aspects of this work render up the reflection of an age through the life of this most imperial of men. As Curzon himself noted in an eloquent plea for the restoration of India’s monuments: “There is no principle of artistic discrimination between the mausoleum of the despot and the sepulcher of the saint. What is beautiful, what is historic, what tears the mask off the face of the past, and helps us to read its riddles, and to look it in the eyes – these, and not the dogmas of a combative theology, are the principal criteria to which we must look.”

[Arvind Radhakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of the best biographies that I have read.Lord Curzon was the youngest Viceroy of India, appointed in 1899 at the age of 39. (Lord Dalhousie was the youngest Governor-General,appointed when he was 36).He was a prodigy who had a brilliant academic career at Oxford University where he won numerous prizes especially the prestigious ones like the prizes given for best essays.An avid student of history he had a very good understanding of foreign affairs.He had a brilliant track record at the India Office where he had assisted the Secretary of State.No other Viceroy had been better qualified to govern the subcontinent.

He was such a well read and intelligent man.brilliant,hard working..he knew more about India's complex history and geograpy than any other Viceroy.He was also very principled and could not tolerate fools or inefficiency.The tranquil procrastination of the bureaucracy irked him no end.Often bureaucrats and army officials had to rewrite badly penned reports.He often drafted them himself.He was a workaholic often working for 14 hours a day.He also behaved very impartially,he never hesitated to punish englishmen if they committed crimes.He treated both the whites and the natives equally.He pulled up the army quite often when British soldiers misbehaved.He often transferred entire regiments out of India when some soldiers committed crimes and their officers tried to protect them by covering up (like murdering an Indian cook or a gang rape of a Burmese woman).He was a martinet on such occasions,which is why he was unpopular in military circles.

He was a great reformer who introduced many progressive changes in education (especially in Indian universities).It was during his tenure that the maximum number of railway lines were constructed.He did so much for the preservation of monuments in India.He revived the ASI which had become defunct then.He gave it generous funding.He took an active interest in preserving our ancient monuments.Lord Curzon’s heritage conservation work was truly phenomenal.He loved India and its people.He was responsible for preserving so many of our ancient monuments and paintings including the Ajanta Caves,the Taj Mahal,Agra Fort,forts in Delhi etc.We owe him a lot.

His decision to partition Bengal was very controversial.He was admired by many Indians for his integrity and impartiality.Even his harshest critics admitted that he was a very efficient administrator.However,the Bengal issued angered many Indians.He also had a very bitter spat with Lord Kitchener (Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army) over the role of the military member in the Viceroy's council.He did the right thing but often in a tactless manner.That cost him dearly He was like a Roman proconsul.

I think Indians often judge him too harshly.Most of us only recall the partition of Bengal but either forget or are blissfully unaware of all his other stellar contributions.I would heartily recommend this book to all history buffs.I would like to close this review with a quote..

'After every other Viceroy has been forgotten,Curzon will be remembered because he restored all that was beautiful in India.'
- Jawaharlal Nehru

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is George Nathaniel Curzon,
I am a most superior person,
My cheek is pink, my hair is sleek,
I dine at Blenheim once a week.

George Curzon was not a man who harboured doubts about his abilities. He was a hugely able and talented man, but suffered from the imperial outlook common to many men of his background and time. He saw Britain’s status and future greatness as being inextricably linked to the fortunes of the Empire.

Curzon was one of the three great British Proconsuls of the Empire at the turn of the century alongside Cromer and Milner. In his younger days he travelled extensively through Afghanistan and Central Asia and was supremely well qualified for the post of Indian Viceroy.

In the end he didn’t have quite the successful political career that had originally been expected. In many ways he seemed quite naïve and perhaps too straightforward to deal with the wily (shameless) machinations of politicians such as Lloyd George. He was very abrupt and even though he tended to be right on many policy issues he upset too many people along the way.

This biography is a bold attempt to resuscitate his reputation from the biographical hatchet jobs of earlier years. 600 pages is probably about as much as one would want to read on this, but it is very well written and gives an interesting perspective on the workings of empire and the British government. It works very well as a companion piece to Roger Owen’s biography of Cromer.

He seemed to share (with some notable exceptions) Kipling’s essentialist “East is East…” view of the populations he governed. However, some recent US presidents and British Prime Ministers might have done well to look more closely at the history of the British Empire and take heed of some advice from Curzon: “…the normal Asiatic would sooner be misgoverned by Asiatics than well governed by Europeans”.

[Raully · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, let me begin by saying that this is a well-written and thorough biography of a crucial British political figure in the early 20th century. That said: Curzon was famous as a hard-nosed, stubborn and brutal Viceroy of India for the British Empire. He rarely got along with people, except for the numerous women he seduced and discarded, and ended up being politically neutralized within his own party for his gruff manner. And this biography bends over backwards to rehabilitate Curzon's reputation, magnifying every encomium and contextualizing every spat. Even worse: the author has no recourse to Indian sources (which probably says as much about the Raj as it does this biographer) and no interest in those whom Curzon governed. His rebellious and estranged daughters rarely make an appearance. And the only servant to be mentioned is a drunken valet. Born into the height of British aristocracy, Curzon floated above the world of people while administrating large portions of the globe. And this biography, unfortunately, follows its subject through the clouds.

[Ravi Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books rarely are ground-breaking or reputation making or breaking, this one is.

With so much original research and first hand accounts, David Gilmour, who is a fantastic writer and researcher, has saved from impeding obscurity the reputation of the man who was India's greatest Viceroy, the creator and overseer of the Delhi Durbar and the Remembrance Day Service as we know it today.

Even the lies of Lord Beaverbrook the media magnate have been dispelled, which in turn brings to light the poor 'journalism' standards that saw successive writers and biographers malign Curzon based on what was said by Lord Beaverbrook, rather than doing their own research into the matter.

The seminal Foreign Secretary with a vast knowledge of the world, I don't think the UK has had such an erudite and knowledgeable foreign secretary since. The greatest Prime Minister the United Kingdom never had? Possibly, done out by the Israel creating and Zionist supported Arthur 'Bloody' Balfour who kept him from the top job. It is about time Curzon is given his correct due.

Highly recommended.

[Leif · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive read, and an even more impressive - and, sometimes, sad, disagreeable, or risible - subject. Gilmour is delicate enough to make a bridge between the values by which Curzon would have judged himself and the contemporary audience in whose eyes the biography succeeds or fails, and that is quite a challenge - and success, quite frankly.

I came to this after reading through the post-WWI settlements and becoming curious about a few figures in the background. What did I find? That, in Gilmour's hands, Curzon's presence runs like a lightning rod through England's colonial history. The exploration of that presence brought much light to many other corners of Victorian and Edwardian history.

In a word, illuminating. Although I can see the length pushing many readers away, this is probably one of the better biographies that I've read.

[Mark Threipland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at a holiday rental. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it but was gripped from the beginning. I didn't finish it before the holiday ended so had to buy my own copy. The book provides an insight into the life and times of this Victorian statesman including fascinating accounts of the British Raj, the British government during First World War, the founding of modern Turkey and the lifestyle of a British aristocrat at the start of the 20th century. There is a long section in the middle of the book about Kitchener's vendetta against Curzon which I skipped because it got rather tedious.

[Angus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great life of a great man, although certainly an attempt at rehabilitation, which successfully convinced me. The writing was gripping for most of the book, although near the middle I lost some interest. The conflict between Curzon and Kitchener over the Military member in India was the main reason for this, which, while incredibly important to his career, failed to hold my attention, especially since it was made up of far too much bitching and gossip by Kitchener while Curzon and his wife were blissfully unaware of the machinations which eventually brought him down in India.

[JW · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written biography. The author nicely balances his subject’s private and public life. Curzon was a highly intelligent dynamo, very gifted and very aware of his gifts. He achieved much in his political career, Indian Viceroy and British foreign secretary, but in the end he left both positions disappointed, feeling that he didn’t accomplish all that he meant to. And he was denied the final prize he thought would be his: the premiership. He was always haunted by a fatal image problem – that so many felt he was lording over them, that he was “a very superior person”.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful biography that brings its subject alive. That is an especially impressive feat given the subject, an immensely talented but high strung Victorian who dedicated his life to politics without being all that good at it: or not quite good enough at it to get where his talents should have taken him. For all his power, this man who once ruled India for Queen Victoria died a lonely, disappointed man. Very human.

[Joshua Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterful. While focusing on his career and thus seemingly not treating his home life, the life of a man like Curzon didn't really provide for any other coverage. Much insight about Kitchener's scheming and competence was gained by this read.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting read.

[Gareth Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine, very readable biography of a rather complex man.

[Andy Holdcroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched & written: a most interesting read

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked George Curzon and he didn't have it easy despite being born with a silver spoon in his mouth and expectations of greatness. He was the victim of an appalling conspiracy by colleagues and 'friends' in high office and he left his India position without the acclaim that was due to him. I read this book slowly as I was reluctant to let him go as I liked him so much. He stood head and shoulders over those around him and they took from him the positions he would have excelled in. When he did get a chance to excel he did. A wonderful biography of a man I liked a lot.