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HO TSCHI MINH.
political biography
Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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184 people want to read
About the author
Jean Lacouture
160 books12 followersJean Lacouture is a journalist, historian and author. He is particularly famous for his biographies.y
Jean Lacouture began his career in journalism in 1950 in "Combat" as diplomatic redactor. He joined Le Monde in 1951. In 1953, he worked in Cairo for France Soir, before returning to Le Monde as director for the overseas services, and grand reporter (the highest title in French journalism) until 1975.
Politically engaged on the Left, Lacouture supported decolonisation, and Mitterrand from 1981. He worked for the Nouvel Observateur, and L'Histoire. He is interviewed in the 1968 documentary film about the Vietnam War entitled "In the Year of the Pig".
Lacouture was also director for publication at Seuil, one of the main French publishers, from 1961 to 1982, and professor at the IEP of Paris between 1969 and 1972.
He is mainly known to the public because of his biographies, including the lives of Ho Chi Minh, Nasser, Léon Blum, De Gaulle, François Mauriac, Pierre Mendès-France, Mitterrand, Montesquieu, Montaigne, Malraux, Germaine Tillion, Champollion, Rivière, Stendhal and Kennedy.
A dedicated music lover, Lacouture is also president of a society of devotees of Georges Bizet.
Jean Lacouture began his career in journalism in 1950 in "Combat" as diplomatic redactor. He joined Le Monde in 1951. In 1953, he worked in Cairo for France Soir, before returning to Le Monde as director for the overseas services, and grand reporter (the highest title in French journalism) until 1975.
Politically engaged on the Left, Lacouture supported decolonisation, and Mitterrand from 1981. He worked for the Nouvel Observateur, and L'Histoire. He is interviewed in the 1968 documentary film about the Vietnam War entitled "In the Year of the Pig".
Lacouture was also director for publication at Seuil, one of the main French publishers, from 1961 to 1982, and professor at the IEP of Paris between 1969 and 1972.
He is mainly known to the public because of his biographies, including the lives of Ho Chi Minh, Nasser, Léon Blum, De Gaulle, François Mauriac, Pierre Mendès-France, Mitterrand, Montesquieu, Montaigne, Malraux, Germaine Tillion, Champollion, Rivière, Stendhal and Kennedy.
A dedicated music lover, Lacouture is also president of a society of devotees of Georges Bizet.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 15, 2019
Although this book was published before Ho's death, I would still consider it a "whole life" biography.
I consider myself fairly well-versed in the involvement of the USA in Vietnam since WWII. But it is all from the American perspective. I wanted to read this book to both get a more well-rounded view of Vietnam as well as to understand that nation's most important leader.
When reading biography I always try to take into account any biases the author may provide and apply a sort of "filter" to the text. I am not familiar with Jean Lacouture, but reading this book leads me to believe he brought a definite positive bias to the subject. I'd say this book tends toward hagiography. Ho is almost uniformly portrayed positively. There are few mentions of anything bad Ho did or about any bad treatment of the people by the government Ho led, and those mentions are just a few words. A well-rounded biography would include more critique.
I expect modern non-fiction to be well noted (either footnotes or end notes) but this one has very few, and a high proportion of those notes cite only a handful of sources. It also lacks a bibliography and any photos of Ho other than the front cover.
That said, the book did meet my goals. It doesn't spend much time on the "American" war, but does go into detail of the struggle with France. It also does a good job describing how Ho tried to not get too reliant on either China or the USSR. Although Ho was steeped in Leninist thought, he realized that the peasants of rural Vietnam didn't face the same struggle as the proletariat of more industrialized nations.
In spite of only giving the book 3 stars, I'd recommend it to anyone studying the American war in Vietnam, particularly the last two chapters.
I consider myself fairly well-versed in the involvement of the USA in Vietnam since WWII. But it is all from the American perspective. I wanted to read this book to both get a more well-rounded view of Vietnam as well as to understand that nation's most important leader.
When reading biography I always try to take into account any biases the author may provide and apply a sort of "filter" to the text. I am not familiar with Jean Lacouture, but reading this book leads me to believe he brought a definite positive bias to the subject. I'd say this book tends toward hagiography. Ho is almost uniformly portrayed positively. There are few mentions of anything bad Ho did or about any bad treatment of the people by the government Ho led, and those mentions are just a few words. A well-rounded biography would include more critique.
I expect modern non-fiction to be well noted (either footnotes or end notes) but this one has very few, and a high proportion of those notes cite only a handful of sources. It also lacks a bibliography and any photos of Ho other than the front cover.
That said, the book did meet my goals. It doesn't spend much time on the "American" war, but does go into detail of the struggle with France. It also does a good job describing how Ho tried to not get too reliant on either China or the USSR. Although Ho was steeped in Leninist thought, he realized that the peasants of rural Vietnam didn't face the same struggle as the proletariat of more industrialized nations.
In spite of only giving the book 3 stars, I'd recommend it to anyone studying the American war in Vietnam, particularly the last two chapters.
February 8, 2025
Very well written, a rich portrait of Ho Chi Minh. But, even though I share Lacouture's political views - at least to some extent - I find it rather biased and one dimensional.
November 17, 2018
A brief overview of the patriotic life of President Ho Chi Minh. Written during the outbreak of the Second Indochina War, with some minor revisions after the President's death, it's one of the best available biographies of Ho Chi Minh. The author also had some direct contacts with Ho Chi Minh and some other people who have been in Vietnam during the war with France and the US, which is also a great way for him to get to know the real situation firsthand. It's also focused on the main issues, that's why the book is good for any audiences who look for a brief explanation of the life of Ho Chi Minh. But since this book is being published in the 60s, it doesn't include Ho Chi Minh's legacies in the postwar periods. So for any readers who might want to read about this topic, they might be disappointed.
November 27, 2008
It may not always be politically correct. It may not always be historically correct. But it's the best written of all the Ho biographies I've read so far. Like Fitzgerald does in Fire in the Lake, Lacouture attempts to burrow down into the Vietnamese mind/soul/psyche. In so fat as sucha "thing" does not exist, I suspect he doesn't always get it wrong either. In any event, Ho Chi Minh and the historical moments out of which he arose are given flesh, smells and desires. It is also interesting to read a biography written at the height of the Vietnamese-American conflict while Ho Chi Minh was still alive.
October 16, 2015
A leftist, hagiographic biography of Ho Chi Minh, written by a longtime journalist for Le Monde. First published in 1968, a year before Ho's death. This was probably as complete a biography as could be found of Ho until William Duiker's more scholarly and less biased
Ho Chi Minh: A Life
.
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January 28, 2019I've got this but haven't read it yet - watch this space for ...
April 25, 2023
Very well written. Moves swiftly along through history. Includes multiple first person sources.
November 7, 2024
Ho Chu Tich Muon Nam!
April 10, 2025
book was written in 68 before ho death and reunification but honestly given the fact the book was written in the midst of the American war it holds a unique reading experience
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October 1, 2025Lacouture, J. (1968) Ho Chi Minh. London: Allen Lane the Penguin Press.
March 26, 2014
I can not help but think that nobody at the pentagon read this in 1968 when it came out. I can not help but admire the man in so many ways regarding how to accomplish what he wanted to . DO NOT GET ME WRONG, I ADMIRE HIS KNOWEDGE NOT HIS ACTIONS. I think it should be required reading for all military leaders.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews