Titans of History

'Sein Verfahren eröffnet eine tatsächlich neue Sicht auf die Geschichte.' Stephan Wackwitz, Die ZeitDie Bonapartes, Rothschilds, die Hohenzollern und die Krupps, die Churchills, Kennedys und die Trumps - mächtige Familien repräsentieren die gesamte Bandbreite menschlichen Strebens, mit blutigen Nachfolgekämpfen, verräterischen Verschwörungen und schockierendem Größenwahn neben blühender Kultur, bewegenden Romanzen und aufgeklärter Wohltätigkeit. Dramatisch, ungeschönt und ergreifend lässt der Autor Weltgeschichte intensiv erleben - großartig als überwältigende Vision und ganz intim in den seltenen Augenblicken, an denen die Geschichte stillzustehen scheint.'Die große Leistung des Autors besteht darin, uns die Welt aus einem ganz anderen Blickwinkel sehen zu lassen - das Unbekannte vertraut zu machen und, was noch wichtiger ist, das Vertraute ungewohnt.' The Spectator'Einen umfassenden wie außerordentlich lesbaren und kurzweiligen Ansatz hat der britische Historiker Simon Sebag Montefiore in seinem neuen Buch ¿Die Welt¿ vorgelegt'  Berthold Seewald, Die Welt'[E]in opulentes Potpourri brutaler, saftiger, bluttriefender, konfliktgetränkter, absurder und zum Teil kurioser Geschichten.' Günter Kaindlstorfer, Deutschlandfunk

Winner of the British Book Awards History Book of the YearLonglisted for the Samuel Johnson PrizeThis thrilling biography of Stalin and his entourage during the terrifying decades of his supreme power transforms our understanding of Stalin as Soviet dictator, Marxist leader and Russian tsar. Based on groundbreaking research, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals in captivating detail the fear and betrayal, privilege and debauchery, family life and murderous cruelty of this secret world. Written with extraordinary narrative verve, this magnificent feat of scholarly research has become a classic of modern history writing. Showing how Stalin's triumphs and crimes were the product of his fanatical Marxism and his gifted but flawed character, this is an intimate portrait of a man as complicated and human as he was brutal and chilling.

'In diesem Werk von erstaunlichem Umfang und Gelehrsamkeit verwebt Montefiore die Geschichten der Diener, Höflinge und Könige, Pioniere, Prediger und Philosophen, die Geschichte gemacht haben. Brillant. Selbst den gebildetsten Lesern werden neue und tiefe Einsichten eröffnet.' Henry KissingerMit der ersten Familie beginnt die Menschheit. Die folgenden Familien machen Geschichte und ihre Dynastien formen - bis heute - die Weltgeschichte.  Weltbestsellerautor Simon Sebag Montefiore entfaltet ein welt- und kulturenumspannendes Panorama von Familien, Sippen, Clans und Dynastien durch alle Zeiten und auf allen Kontinenten. Noch nie wurde die Familien-Weltgeschichte so vielschichtig entfaltet, so mitreißend erzählt.Die Geschichte der Menschheit beginnt in diesem historischen Epos mit einem Strandspaziergang einer Familie vor 950.000 Jahren. Diese Weltgeschichte erzählt Simon Sebag Montefiore als Familien- und Gesellschaftsdrama von den Neandertalern bis zu den Königen der Saud, von Cäsar bis zu den Kennedys und Xi Jinping. In 23 Akten spielt sich die Weltgeschichte der Menschheit von ihren Anfängen bis heute vor unseren Augen als ein großes Welttheater ab: begeisternd, verzweifelt, verträumt, brutal, erbarmungslos, realistisch, einfallsreich - als ergreifendes Drama, unglaubliche Komödie und erschütternde Tragödie. Familien lieben und hassen sich, sie feiern ihre Erfolge und erleiden gemeinsam ihre Niederlagen und ihren Niedergang. Meisterhaft veranschaulicht Montefiore, in seiner Menschheitsgeschichte, wie sich Weltgeschichte durch dieses epische Panorama für immer verschieben wird. Dramatisch, ungeschönt, ergreifend, lässt Simon Montefiore seine Leser Weltgeschichte intensiv erleben - großartig als überwältigende Vision, intim in den seltenen Augenblicken, an denen die Geschichte stillzustehen scheint.'Ungeheuer ehrgeizig, gelehrt und voller Überraschungen.' Peter Frankopan'Fesselnd, bewegend, episch und vielfältig' Olivette Otele'Meisterhaft' Ben Okri'Berauschend' Tanya Gold, Jewish Chronicle'Eine Geschichte der Welt von den Neandertalern bis zu Trump. Ein enorm unterhaltsames Buch.' Gerard DeGroot, The Times'Eine bemerkenswerte Leistung' Observer'Großartig. Monumental' Robbie Millen, Times Radio'Meisterhaft und wahrhaft atemberaubend' BBC History Revealed'Atemberaubend. Ein ungeheures Geschenk' Simon Schama

INCLUDES NEW MATERIAL<BR><BR>WRITTEN IN HISTORY celebrates the great letters of world history, creative culture and personal life. Acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore selects over one hundred letters from ancient times to the twenty-first century: some are noble and inspiring, some despicable and unsettling; some are exquisite works of literature, others brutal, coarse and frankly outrageous; many are erotic, others heartbreaking. The writers vary from Elizabeth I, Rameses the Great and Leonard Cohen to Emmeline Pankhurst, Mandela, Stalin, Michelangelo, Suleiman the Magnificent and unknown people in extraordinary circumstances - from love letters to calls for liberation, declarations of war to reflections on death. In the colourful, accessible style of a master storyteller, Montefiore shows why these letters are essential reading: how they enlighten our past, enrich the way we live now - and illuminate tomorrow.

'Dieses Buch hat Persönlichkeit und eine Seele. Es ist enorm unterhaltsam.' Gerard DeGroot, The TimesMit der ersten Familie beginnt die Menschheit. Individuen und ihre Familien machen Geschichte und ihre Dynastien formen - bis heute - die Weltgeschichte. Simon Sebag Montefiore inszeniert in diesem Band unsere Weltgeschichte als Familien- und Gesellschaftsdrama von den Neandertalern, den Pharaonen, Hethitern und Assyrern bis zu den Königen der Perser, von Nofretete, Kleopatra, Cäsar bis zu den Medici und den Habsburgern. Noch nie wurde die Familien-Weltgeschichte so vielschichtig entfaltet, so mitreißend erzählt.'Streckenweise liest es sich wie eine Netflix-Serie mit Sex und Crime.' Michael Brackmann, Handelsblatt'Eine großartig erzählte Weltgeschichte, die stets einen Riesenkrach in den Familien garantiert.' Michael Hesse, Frankfurter Rundschau'So etwas hat man noch nicht gelesen: eine Geschichte der Menschheit, die auf allen Kontinenten spielt, erzählt aus der Perspektive von Familien, Clans und Dynastien.' Peer Teuwsen, NZZ am Sonntag'Eine umwerfende Leistung' James Walton, Daily Telegraph

THE TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR<BR>ONE OF THE ECONOMIST'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR<BR>A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER<BR><BR>From the master storyteller and internationally bestselling author - the story of humanity from prehistory to the present day, told through the one thing all humans have in common: family. <BR><BR>We begin with the footsteps of a family walking along a beach 950,000 years ago. From here, Montefiore takes us on an exhilarating epic journey through the families that have shaped our world: the Caesars, Medicis and Incas, Ottomans and Mughals, Bonapartes, Habsburgs and Zulus, Rothschilds, Rockefellers and Krupps, Churchills, Kennedys, Castros, Nehrus, Pahlavis and Kenyattas, Saudis, Kims and Assads.<BR><BR>A rich cast of complex characters form the beating heart of the story. Some are well-known leaders, from Alexander the Great, Attila, Ivan the Terrible and Genghis Khan to Hitler, Thatcher, Obama, Putin and Zelensky. Some are creative, from Socrates, Michelangelo and Shakespeare to Newton, Mozart, Balzac, Freud, Bowie and Tim Berners-Lee.<BR><BR>Others are lesser-known: Hongwu, who began life as a beggar and founded the Ming dynasty; Kamehameha, conqueror of Hawaii; Zenobia, Arab empress who defied Rome; King Henry of Haiti; Lady Murasaki, first female novelist; Sayyida al-Hurra, Moroccan pirate-queen. Here are not just conquerors and queens but prophets, charlatans, actors, gangsters, artists, scientists, doctors, tycoons, lovers, wives, husbands and children.<BR>This is world history on the most grand and intimate scale - spanning centuries, continents and cultures, and linking grand themes of war, migration, plague, religion, medicine and technology to the people at the centre of the human drama. As spellbinding as fiction, The World captures the story of humankind in all its joy, sorrow, romance, ingenuity and cruelty in a ground-breaking, single narrative that will forever shift the boundaries of what history can achieve.

'An epic adventure story set against the most awful war in history. Ridiculously good' Dan Snow<BR><BR>If your children were forced to testify against you, what terrible secrets would they reveal?<BR><BR>Moscow 1945. As Stalin and his courtiers celebrate victory over Hitler, shots ring out. On a nearby bridge, a teenage boy and girl lie dead. <BR><BR>But this is no ordinary tragedy and these are no ordinary teenagers, but the children of Russia's most important leaders who attend the most exclusive school in Moscow. <BR><BR>Is it murder? A suicide pact? Or a conspiracy against the state? <BR><BR>Directed by Stalin himself, an investigation begins as children are arrested and forced to testify against their friends - and their parents. This terrifying witch-hunt soon unveils illicit love affairs and family secrets in a hidden world where the smallest mistakes will be punished with death.

Discover the epic story of revolution, passion, and betrayal from international bestselling author and historian, Simon Sebag Montefiore - Book 1 in The Moscow Trilogy!*RECOMMENDED BY THE QUEEN'S READING ROOM BOOK CLUB*'Intricate, fast moving... by the time I put the book down, long after midnight, I was in tears' - The TimesWinter, 1916.In St Petersburg, snow is falling in a country on the brink of revolution.Beautiful and headstrong, Sashenka Zeitlin is just sixteen. As her mother parties with Rasputin and her dissolute friends, Sashenka slips into the frozen night to play her role in a dangerous game of conspiracy and seduction.Twenty years on, Sashenka has a powerful husband and two children. Around her people are disappearing but her own family is safe.But she's about to embark on a forbidden love affair which will have devastating consequences.Sashenka's story lies hidden for half a century, until a young historian goes deep into Stalin's private archives and uncovers a heart-breaking story of passion and betrayal, savage cruelty and unexpected heroism - and one woman forced to make an unbearable choice ...Readers LOVE Simon Sebag Montefiore:'Agile plotting and vivid characterisation [...] combine to make Sashenka an addictive page-turner with an elegant, steely edge of verisimilitude' - Sunday Telegraph'Full of fascinating, meticulously researched detail about Russian life' - Daisy Buchanan'To write a good historical novel you have to recreate that world, both physically and intellectually - and there must be a sense that history is driving the plot forwards. Montefiore succeeds on all counts' - Evening Standard'Passionate, complex, incisive, salutary and utterly bloody upsetting. One of those classic books that people will want to read again - I certainly will - when I recover from it - and enthuse others to read' ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿'Simon Sebag Montefiore has a terrific talent for creating tension'¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿'What an excellent writer, what a brilliant story teller, what an epic journey he took me on with amazing characters and such attention to detail' ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿'A tour de force of a book' ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿'A true page-turner and yet so much more. Rich in both historical detail and family drama, Sashenka will stay with me for a long time' ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿'A superb story fabulously told' ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanovs--and one of our pre-eminent historians and a prizewinning writer--an outstanding selection of great letters from ancient times to the 21st century, touching on power, love, art, sex, faith, and war.<BR><BR>Written in History: Letters that Changed the World celebrates the great letters of world history, and cultural and personal life. Bestselling, prizewinning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore selects letters that have changed the course of global events or touched a timeless emotion--whether passion, rage, humor--from ancient times to the twenty-first century. Some are noble and inspiring, some despicable and unsettling, some are exquisite works of literature, others brutal, coarse, and frankly outrageous, many are erotic, others heartbreaking. It is a surprising and eclectic selection, from the four corners of the world, filled with extraordinary women and men, from ancient times to now. Truly a choice of letters for our own times encompassing love letters to calls for liberation to declarations of war to reflections on life and death. The writers vary from Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great to Mandela, Stalin and Picasso, Fanny Burney and Emily Pankhurst to Ada Lovelace and Rosa Parks, Oscar Wilde, Chekhov and Pushkin to Balzac, Mozart and Michelangelo, Hitler, Rameses the Great and Alexander Hamilton to Augustus and Churchill, Lincoln, Donald Trump and Suleiman the Magnificent. In a book that is a perfect gift, here is a window on astonishing characters, seminal events, and unforgettable words. In the colorful, accessible style of a master storyteller, Montefiore shows why these letters are essential reading and how they can unveil and enlighten the past--and enrich the way we live now.