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Disraeli: A Biography
Offering new perspectives on the Victorian era's political and literary giant, this portrait chronicles Disraeli's brilliant and varied career, set against the backdrop of the British Empire at its height. 20,000 first printing. BOMC. History Bk Club.
736 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1993
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102 people want to read
About the author
Stanley Weintraub
119 books48 followersWeintraub was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 17, 1929. He was the eldest child of Benjamin and Ray Segal Weintraub. He attended South Philadelphia High School, and then he attended West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University of Pennsylvania) where he received his B.S. in education in 1949. He continued his education at Temple University where he received his master's degree in English “in absentia,” as he was called to duty in the Korean War.
He received a commission as Army Second Lieutenant, and served with the Eighth Army in Korea receiving a Bronze Star.
After the War, he enrolled at Pennsylvania State University in September 1953; his doctoral dissertation “Bernard Shaw, Novelist” was accepted on May 6, 1956.
Except for visiting appointments, he remained at Penn State for all of his career, finally attaining the rank of Evan Pugh Professor of Arts and Humanities, with emeritus status on retirement in 2000. From 1970 to 1990 he was also Director of Penn State’s Institute for the Arts and Humanistic Studies
He received a commission as Army Second Lieutenant, and served with the Eighth Army in Korea receiving a Bronze Star.
After the War, he enrolled at Pennsylvania State University in September 1953; his doctoral dissertation “Bernard Shaw, Novelist” was accepted on May 6, 1956.
Except for visiting appointments, he remained at Penn State for all of his career, finally attaining the rank of Evan Pugh Professor of Arts and Humanities, with emeritus status on retirement in 2000. From 1970 to 1990 he was also Director of Penn State’s Institute for the Arts and Humanistic Studies
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 9, 2022
Not worth reading! Poorly footnoted, mostly a literary criticism. Wish I'd read something else :(
September 7, 2023
4.0 / 5.0
Lots of Literary references used to explain character. Sometimes hard to follow.
Weak on transition from novice to stalwart leader.
Enjoyable and inciteful.
Lots of Literary references used to explain character. Sometimes hard to follow.
Weak on transition from novice to stalwart leader.
Enjoyable and inciteful.
November 20, 2012
Redundant hack biography of Benjamin Disraeli. Don't waste your money; if you can find Robert Blake's vastly superior Disraeli by all means do so.
July 24, 2011
Weintraub disappointingly spends way too much time summarizing Disraeli's literary works. I need to find a better biography of Disraeli.
March 22, 2026
Disraeli: A Biography provides its readers with a portrait of the man who was both a novelist and two-time Prime Minister of Great Britain (1868, and again from 1874-1880).
Historian Stanley Weintraub certainly had plenty of grist to work with when it came his subject matter's life. Disraeli, who also had the title 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, held himself up in the House of Commons as a sort of forward-looking Conservative MP.
Much of the book details his frequent locking of horns with Liberal politician and four-time Prime Minister William Gladstone. The two men had little love for one another and argued bitterly over issues like the country's tariff rates, the best way to deal with Ireland, and the degree to which England should conduct a humanitarian foreign policy.
Disraeli's country home of Hughenden performed much the same function as Hawarden did for Gladstone, acting as a sanctuary to get away from the socio-political whirlwind which was London. His wife Mary Anne featured prominently throughout the book, while at the same time Disraeli-who was painted as a dandyish socialite by Weintraub-hob knobbed with women about town like Ladies Bradford and Chesterfield.
His relationship with Queen Victoria also played a big part in Disraeli: A Biography. She seemed to by and large view him positively, although she would have liked to see him a bit more dedicated to the Church of England to tamp down criticisms of his Jewish heritage. Victoria definitely preferred working with him as Prime Minister as opposed to William Gladstone, a man who although devoutly religious seemed to grate on her nerves.
Much of what twenty-first century readers might crack open this book knowing about Disraeli is that he was the first Jewish Prime Minister in Britain's history. While this is true, his father Isaac had Benjamin baptized into the Anglican Church at the age of twelve.
Benjamin identified as a Christian throughout his life in Parliament, but the author recounts how his loyalties were frequently questioned in bad faith by political opponents. The fact that he was of Hebrew heritage caused his motives to be thrown into question by those not apt to follow a Conservative party line. His seeming openness to other religions besides an orthodox form of Christianity also caused him to be viewed with suspicion by contemporaries.
There is a revolving cast of characters, with men like Lord Henry Palmerston and Lord George Bentinck featured in a constant give-and-take game in the House of Commons. Disraeli's own personal philosophy essentially boiled down to an effort to push for reform on issues like the tariff and expansion of the voting franchise in a sort of evolutionary, as opposed to revolutionary, manner.
And yet the author failed to capitalize on the strong personalities and the impactful nature of the years and debates he covered. Weintraub's writing could have used another few rounds of editing; at times the writing was so clunky and transitioned to poorly it was hard not to cringe while reading it. While a typographical mistake here and there is understandable, the verbiage and prose in this book was at time inexcusably bad.
Unfortunately, this took away from the enjoyability of what was a topic chock full of human interest.
While he was a card-carrying Conservative MP from Buckinghamshire, Disraeli nevertheless was willing to push for changes he viewed as progressive if he felt it was in Britain's interest.
He was also a fiction writer whose characters were at times thinly veiled portraits of real life movers and shakers on the British scene. Weintraub notes that contemporaries would often make keys of the fictional characters and the real life individuals they were actually stand-ins for; this aspect added a compelling twist to the political-heavy storyline.
In analyzing Disraeli's books like Coningsby and Vivien Grey, the author adds another wrinkle to a Prime Minister who was already a compelling enough man. His success as a popular fiction author made him a rarity among British Prime Ministers, another unique trait to go alongside his role as the first one of Jewish background.
Disraeli: A Life is full of interesting anecdotes and personalities. This gave Stanley Weintraub a canvas to really do a lot with.
Disraeli was a talented author who led Parliament during a time of increased demands for the franchise against the backdrop of a change-averse queen on the throne. He also had to deal with more than his fair share of anti-Semitic discrimination and a particularly sharp-elbowed political foe in the Liberal MP William Gladstone.
But the poor nature of the writing and the wooden way the larger than life individuals who people the pages are crafted mean that this book earns no more than three stars. It was a bit of a disappointment, and although much can be learned from reading it the overall product was not close to what it could have been.
-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado
Historian Stanley Weintraub certainly had plenty of grist to work with when it came his subject matter's life. Disraeli, who also had the title 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, held himself up in the House of Commons as a sort of forward-looking Conservative MP.
Much of the book details his frequent locking of horns with Liberal politician and four-time Prime Minister William Gladstone. The two men had little love for one another and argued bitterly over issues like the country's tariff rates, the best way to deal with Ireland, and the degree to which England should conduct a humanitarian foreign policy.
Disraeli's country home of Hughenden performed much the same function as Hawarden did for Gladstone, acting as a sanctuary to get away from the socio-political whirlwind which was London. His wife Mary Anne featured prominently throughout the book, while at the same time Disraeli-who was painted as a dandyish socialite by Weintraub-hob knobbed with women about town like Ladies Bradford and Chesterfield.
His relationship with Queen Victoria also played a big part in Disraeli: A Biography. She seemed to by and large view him positively, although she would have liked to see him a bit more dedicated to the Church of England to tamp down criticisms of his Jewish heritage. Victoria definitely preferred working with him as Prime Minister as opposed to William Gladstone, a man who although devoutly religious seemed to grate on her nerves.
Much of what twenty-first century readers might crack open this book knowing about Disraeli is that he was the first Jewish Prime Minister in Britain's history. While this is true, his father Isaac had Benjamin baptized into the Anglican Church at the age of twelve.
Benjamin identified as a Christian throughout his life in Parliament, but the author recounts how his loyalties were frequently questioned in bad faith by political opponents. The fact that he was of Hebrew heritage caused his motives to be thrown into question by those not apt to follow a Conservative party line. His seeming openness to other religions besides an orthodox form of Christianity also caused him to be viewed with suspicion by contemporaries.
There is a revolving cast of characters, with men like Lord Henry Palmerston and Lord George Bentinck featured in a constant give-and-take game in the House of Commons. Disraeli's own personal philosophy essentially boiled down to an effort to push for reform on issues like the tariff and expansion of the voting franchise in a sort of evolutionary, as opposed to revolutionary, manner.
And yet the author failed to capitalize on the strong personalities and the impactful nature of the years and debates he covered. Weintraub's writing could have used another few rounds of editing; at times the writing was so clunky and transitioned to poorly it was hard not to cringe while reading it. While a typographical mistake here and there is understandable, the verbiage and prose in this book was at time inexcusably bad.
Unfortunately, this took away from the enjoyability of what was a topic chock full of human interest.
While he was a card-carrying Conservative MP from Buckinghamshire, Disraeli nevertheless was willing to push for changes he viewed as progressive if he felt it was in Britain's interest.
He was also a fiction writer whose characters were at times thinly veiled portraits of real life movers and shakers on the British scene. Weintraub notes that contemporaries would often make keys of the fictional characters and the real life individuals they were actually stand-ins for; this aspect added a compelling twist to the political-heavy storyline.
In analyzing Disraeli's books like Coningsby and Vivien Grey, the author adds another wrinkle to a Prime Minister who was already a compelling enough man. His success as a popular fiction author made him a rarity among British Prime Ministers, another unique trait to go alongside his role as the first one of Jewish background.
Disraeli: A Life is full of interesting anecdotes and personalities. This gave Stanley Weintraub a canvas to really do a lot with.
Disraeli was a talented author who led Parliament during a time of increased demands for the franchise against the backdrop of a change-averse queen on the throne. He also had to deal with more than his fair share of anti-Semitic discrimination and a particularly sharp-elbowed political foe in the Liberal MP William Gladstone.
But the poor nature of the writing and the wooden way the larger than life individuals who people the pages are crafted mean that this book earns no more than three stars. It was a bit of a disappointment, and although much can be learned from reading it the overall product was not close to what it could have been.
-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado
November 7, 2020
I've been systematically reading biographies of US presidents and taking a much less organized approach to both Russian leaders and British Prime Ministers (I'm not at all interested in British royalty).
Up to now, I've only read about British leaders of the 20th century. After reading this one, I think I'll stick to the 20th century. Gladstone was on the list, but nothing I read in this Disreali book makes me want to read about Gladstone. I don't know that it's the fault of the author, though. I'm not well versed in British history before WWI, and the farther back I go, the less it makes sense to me. And, for better or worse, few biographers do a great job of telling the history that their subjects inhabit.
I enjoyed the early chapters and the late chapters, but struggled through the middle. At times I felt like I was reading Russian fiction: there is a great list of characters, and I had trouble with the names. Sure, English names are easier to pronounce than Russian ones, but running across something like "Henry Albert Lewis Kent-Lightfoot, Earl of Swithwick" who also appears in one of Disraeli's novels as "Lord Cranwick, formerly Stanley Ramsey Habersham" got my head spinning. I made these names up, but this, and worse, is what the reader faces.
I'm almost tempted to read one of Disraeli's later books. Often I read non-fiction and come away with the thought that "you can't make this stuff up." There's really nothing that extreme in Disraeli's story, and from the descriptions of his book, he can (and did) make up stuff like this.
Disraeli starts off getting himself deeply in debt, travels extensively, chases women, resorts to getting elected to Parliament in order to keep out of debtors prison, marries for money rather than love, becomes a successful novelist, becomes prime minister and friend to the Queen. An interesting life, no doubt. Pity I found the politics in the middle of the book less than gripping.
Includes an index and quite a few drawings and pictures, but no notes or bibliography (just a brief paragraph or two describing the sources for each chapter).
Up to now, I've only read about British leaders of the 20th century. After reading this one, I think I'll stick to the 20th century. Gladstone was on the list, but nothing I read in this Disreali book makes me want to read about Gladstone. I don't know that it's the fault of the author, though. I'm not well versed in British history before WWI, and the farther back I go, the less it makes sense to me. And, for better or worse, few biographers do a great job of telling the history that their subjects inhabit.
I enjoyed the early chapters and the late chapters, but struggled through the middle. At times I felt like I was reading Russian fiction: there is a great list of characters, and I had trouble with the names. Sure, English names are easier to pronounce than Russian ones, but running across something like "Henry Albert Lewis Kent-Lightfoot, Earl of Swithwick" who also appears in one of Disraeli's novels as "Lord Cranwick, formerly Stanley Ramsey Habersham" got my head spinning. I made these names up, but this, and worse, is what the reader faces.
I'm almost tempted to read one of Disraeli's later books. Often I read non-fiction and come away with the thought that "you can't make this stuff up." There's really nothing that extreme in Disraeli's story, and from the descriptions of his book, he can (and did) make up stuff like this.
Disraeli starts off getting himself deeply in debt, travels extensively, chases women, resorts to getting elected to Parliament in order to keep out of debtors prison, marries for money rather than love, becomes a successful novelist, becomes prime minister and friend to the Queen. An interesting life, no doubt. Pity I found the politics in the middle of the book less than gripping.
Includes an index and quite a few drawings and pictures, but no notes or bibliography (just a brief paragraph or two describing the sources for each chapter).
August 7, 2022
Weintraub's biography of Disraeli is engaging, quick paced, and provides a full portrait of the Statesman. I only wish there had been lengthier quotations from the speeches and debates. Very well done.
April 9, 2024
If you had a diagram of the plot-direction in this book it would pass for a knitting diagram.
October 9, 2014
Si vous avez entendu des mauvaises langues qui pretendait que Disraeli le rusé juif menait la reine Victoria par le nez, vous devez absolument lire cette biographie qui raconte la vraie histoire.
De son époque, il y avait tres peu de gens actives dans la vie politique de la Grande Bretagne qui jugeait aussi bien les personnes que la reine Victoria. Elle aimait Disraeli mieux que ses autres premiers ministres parce que c'etait lui qui repondait le mieux aux attentes qu'elle faisait sur l'intellecte et les moeurs personnelles de ses collaborateurs.
Disraeil n'a jamais une seule fois poussé la Reine Victoria a faire quelque chose qu'elle ne voulait pas faire. C'etait plutot la reine qui poussait Disraeli a prendre une ligne plus dure avec les Russes qu'il ne voulait. La Reine Victoria ne faisait aucunement confiance a son gendre le Tsar et encore moins au Kaiser qui était aussi son gendre. Elle a donc toujours encourage ses premiers ministres de toujour garder leurs distances envers la Russie et l'Allemagne. Disraeili qui faisait parti de ceux qui croyaient que la Grande Bretagne devait pencher vers la Russie, a finallement decider d'acceder aux voeux de Victoria.
Ce qui va peut-etre faire le plus de plaisir aux lecteurs francais, est de trouver un Marcel Proust Anglais chez Disraeli. A la maniere de Proust qui etait Catholique, Disraeli qui etait Anglicain etait aussi tres fier d'etre Juif. Comme Proust, Disraeli était aussi tres fier d'etre juif.
On comprend pourquoi la Reine Victoria a tant aimé Disraeli et pourquoi quand elle a pris connaissance de la maladie qui devait enlever la vie a Disraeli, elle a envoye son medecin personnel du palais aupres de Disraeli dans l'espoir de ne pas perdre un grand collaborateur et un grand ami.
De son époque, il y avait tres peu de gens actives dans la vie politique de la Grande Bretagne qui jugeait aussi bien les personnes que la reine Victoria. Elle aimait Disraeli mieux que ses autres premiers ministres parce que c'etait lui qui repondait le mieux aux attentes qu'elle faisait sur l'intellecte et les moeurs personnelles de ses collaborateurs.
Disraeil n'a jamais une seule fois poussé la Reine Victoria a faire quelque chose qu'elle ne voulait pas faire. C'etait plutot la reine qui poussait Disraeli a prendre une ligne plus dure avec les Russes qu'il ne voulait. La Reine Victoria ne faisait aucunement confiance a son gendre le Tsar et encore moins au Kaiser qui était aussi son gendre. Elle a donc toujours encourage ses premiers ministres de toujour garder leurs distances envers la Russie et l'Allemagne. Disraeili qui faisait parti de ceux qui croyaient que la Grande Bretagne devait pencher vers la Russie, a finallement decider d'acceder aux voeux de Victoria.
Ce qui va peut-etre faire le plus de plaisir aux lecteurs francais, est de trouver un Marcel Proust Anglais chez Disraeli. A la maniere de Proust qui etait Catholique, Disraeli qui etait Anglicain etait aussi tres fier d'etre Juif. Comme Proust, Disraeli était aussi tres fier d'etre juif.
On comprend pourquoi la Reine Victoria a tant aimé Disraeli et pourquoi quand elle a pris connaissance de la maladie qui devait enlever la vie a Disraeli, elle a envoye son medecin personnel du palais aupres de Disraeli dans l'espoir de ne pas perdre un grand collaborateur et un grand ami.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews