Simon Sebag Montefiore Livres

Roman historique

Se rendre à Londres. Ne parler à personne de sa mission. Trouver les Lapins de la Couronne d'Angleterre, les seuls capables de déjouer un complot qui menace la reine ! C'est ainsi que Timmy Poil-Fauve, le lapin le plus maigrichon de toute la garenne, celui qui endure au quotidien les rires moqueurs de ses frères et sœurs, s'avance, le coeur battant, vers l'aventure... Photographier la reine d'Angleterre en nuisette... Tel est le complot qui plane sur Buckingham Palace ! Agents secrets, carotte fraîche et un humour so british rythment cette folle aventure

This widely acclaimed biography provides a vivid and riveting account of Stalin and his courtiers—killers, fanatics, women, and children—during the terrifying decades of his supreme power. In a seamless meshing of exhaustive research and narrative ?lan, Simon Sebag Montefiore gives us the everyday details of a monstrous life.We see Stalin playing his deadly game of power and paranoia at debauched dinners at Black Sea villas and in the apartments of the Kremlin. We witness first-hand how the dictator and his magnates carried out the Great Terror and the war against the Nazis, and how their families lived in this secret world of fear, betrayal, murder, and sexual degeneracy. Montefiore gives an unprecedented understanding of Stalin’s dictatorship, and a Stalin as human and complicated as he is brutal.

De l'offensive allemande en 1941 à l'agonie solitaire de Staline en 1953, ce second tome du best-seller mondial de Simon Sebag Montefiore met en lumière la façon dont le chef suprême de l'Union soviétique a acquis une envergure internationale. Il raconte comment, secondé par le fidèle Molotov et le maréchal Joukov, il joua les hommes d'Etat avec Churchill et Roosevelt, et devint un véritable seigneur de guerre. Tirant profit de l'ouverture des archives personnelles de Staline, d'entretiens et de documents familiaux inconnus jusque-là, l'auteur décrit avec brio la progression de la terreur que le dictateur met en oeuvre avec l'aide de créatures obsédées par la rivalité et les privilèges, mais aussi hantées par la peur de la disgrâce. A travers le prisme de cette oligarchie aux codes mafieux, l'auteur relit aussi Yalta ou encore le complot des blouses blanches, et tente de comprendre les dérives de ce gouvernement qui justifia ses crimes au nom de l'idéal bolchevique. Traduit dans plus de vingt-cinq langues, Staline, la cour du tsar rouge a reçu en 2004 le prix du livre d'histoire de l'année décerné par le British Book Awards.

Simon Sebag Montefiore has unearthed the vast underpinning that sustained Stalin. Not only ministers such as Molotov or secret service chiefs such as Beria, but men and women whose loyalty he trusted only until the next purge. Here is the Stalin story from the inside, full of revelations.

Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson, Duff Cooper and Marsh Biography prizes It is one of the great love stories of history, and one of its most successful political partnerships. Catherine the Great was a woman of notorious passion and imperial ambition, perhaps the greatest of the Romanovs. Prince Potemkin - wildly flamboyant and sublimely talented - was the love of her life and her co-ruler. Together they seized Ukraine and Crimea and founded cities such as Sebastopol, defining the Russian empire to this day. Their affair was so tumultuous they negotiated an arrangement to share power, leaving Potemkin free to love his beautiful nieces, Catherine her young male favourites. But these 'twin souls' never stopped loving each other. Drawing on their intimate letters and vast new research from St Petersburg to Odessa, Simon Sebag Montefiore's enthralling, much-acclaimed biography restores these imperial partners to their rightful place as titans of their age.

Jerusalem, the universal city and capital of two peoples, is a sacred site for three faiths and a focal point of empires and modern conflicts. Spanning 3,000 years, its history intertwines faith, violence, fanaticism, and coexistence. From its origins with King David to contemporary figures like Barack Obama, the narrative explores how this small town evolved into the Holy City and a key to Middle Eastern peace. Through a vivid recounting, Simon Sebag Montefiore brings to life the city's transformations and the influential figures who shaped it—kings, prophets, poets, and everyday citizens alike. The story features a diverse cast, including Solomon, Saladin, and Suleiman the Magnificent, alongside historical figures like Cleopatra, Caligula, and Churchill, as well as Abraham, Jesus, and Muhammad. It traverses the ancient world with figures like Jezebel and Nebuchadnezzar to modern personalities such as the Kaiser and Lawrence of Arabia. Utilizing new archives and a wealth of scholarship, Montefiore delves into the city's essence, exploring themes of sanctity, identity, and empire. This narrative reveals how Jerusalem became a unique city, existing simultaneously in heaven and on earth.

A collection of history's greatest speeches, with commentary from internationally bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. Updated with new speeches from John Boyega, Queen Elizabeth II and others.

The second in this exciting new series for younger readers from the international bestselling authors Santa and Sebag Montefiore, illustrated by sought-after illustrator Kate Hindley.

The epic new history from the bestselling author of JERUSALEM - the intimate story of Russia's imperial dynasty

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanovs—and one of our pre-eminent historians—comes “a meticulously researched, authoritative biography” (The New York Times), the companion volume to the prize-winning Stalin, and essential reading for anyone interested in Russian history. This revelatory account unveils how Stalin became Stalin, examining his shadowy journey from obscurity to power—from master historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. Based on ten years of research, Young Stalin is a brilliant prehistory of the USSR, a chronicle of the Revolution, and an intimate biography. Montefiore tells the story of a charismatic, darkly turbulent boy born into poverty, scarred by his upbringing but possessed of unusual talents. Admired as a romantic poet and trained as a priest, he found his true mission as a murderous revolutionary. Here is the dramatic story of his friendships and hatreds, his many love affairs, his complicated relationship with the Tsarist secret police, and how he became the merciless politician who shaped the Soviet Empire in his own brutal image.

A thrilling, epic and original history of humanity from a dazzlingly fresh and global perspective, from the prize-winning, bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore.

This updated collection features numerous impactful speeches, including Earl Spencer's tribute to Diana, Nikita Khrushchev's 1956 address marking the decline of Stalinist Russia, Patrick Pearse's stirring funeral oration that ignited the Easter Rising, Kevin Rudd's apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples, and Barack Obama's historic election night victory speech. It also showcases powerful orations from Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King's iconic "I have a dream" and "I've seen the promised land," JFK's inspiring words, and Nelson Mandela's passionate speeches—one during his 1964 trial and another upon becoming South Africa's president in 1994. Historic addresses from figures such as Elizabeth I, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma Gandhi, and others are included. This anthology presents over 50 significant speeches that have shaped history, accompanied by brief biographies of each speaker and context regarding the importance of their orations and the outcomes that followed. It offers a compelling narrative of history through the lens of its most powerful speeches.

Moscow 1945. As Stalin celebrates victory over Hitler, shots ring out. The children of Russia's most important leaders are dead. Is it murder? A suicide pact? Or a conspiracy? An investigation begins and children are arrested, forced to testify against their friends - and their parents. This is an epic tale of youth, love and betrayal in Stalinist Russia, from the author of SASHENKA.

Imprisoned in the Gulags for a crime he did not commit, Benya Golden joins a penal battalion made up of Cossacks and convicts to fight the Nazis. He enrols in the Russian cavalry, and on a hot summer day in July 1942, he and his band of brothers are sent on a desperate mission behind enemy lines. Switching between Benya's war in the grasslands of Southern Russia, and Stalin's plans in the Kremlin, between Benya's intense affair with an Italian nurse and a romance between Stalin's daughter and a journalist also on the Eastern Front, this is a sweeping story of passion, bravery and human survival where personal betrayal is a constant companion, and death just a hearbeat away.

Heroes is a selection of the ultimate heroes and heroines from world history. Informing, entertaining and inspiring these are texts that are suitable for readers of all ages. A treasure trove of the greatest stories of courage and achievement ever recorded, a collection of lives, deeds and events that everyone should know -and no one should forget. [back cover].

WRITTEN IN HISTORY: LETTERS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD celebrates the letter in world history and personal life. Acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore selects letters that have changed the course of global events or touched a timeless emotion - whether passion, rage, humour - from ancient times to the twentieth century: some are noble and inspiring, some despicable and unsettling, some are exquisite works of literature, others brutal and coarse. From love letters to declarations of war, ranging from Elizabeth I to Stalin, Seneca to Machiavelli, Oscar Wilde to Balzac, Rameses the Great to Gandhi, Montefiore explores the significance of each piece of correspondence and shows how letters can reveal the personalities of some of history's most fascinating figures, and in turn offer a unique perspective on the past and a relevance for today. (less)

Through the centuries, Russia has swung between successful expansionism, catastrophic collapse and spectacular recovery. This accessible history traces these cycles from the late Neolithic age to Ivan the Terrible, and from the height of Communism to the truncated Russian Federation of today.

'Monsters' presents, in chronological order, grimly fascinating profiles of 101 notorious and profoundly sinister individuals whose actions have one thing in common - they have had a baleful and blood-soaked impact on the annals of world history

In 1945, two and a half million people were forced out of Germanys most easterly province, East Prussia, and in particular its capital, Königsberg. Their flight was a direct result of Hitlers ill-fated decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941. The horrors of Leningrad and Stalingrad were to be avenged by an army determined not only to invade Germany but to take over its eastern-frontier territories. The Russians launched Operation Bagration in June 1944, to coincide with the D-Day landings. As US and British forces pushed west the Russians liberated Eastern Europe and made their first attacks in the autumn of 1944. Königsberg itself was badly damaged by two British air raids at the end of August 1944, and the main offensive against the city by the Red Army began in January 1945. The depleted and poorly armed German army could do little to hold it back, and by the end of January East Prussia was cut off. The Russians exacted a terrible revenge on the civilian population, who were forced to flee across the freezing Baltic coast in an attempt to escape. On April 9, the city surrendered to the Russians after a four-day onslaught. Through first-hand accounts as well as archival material, Königsberg 1945: The Annihilation of Hitler's Fortress City tells the dramatic story of a place and its people that bore the brunt of Russia's vengeance against the Nazi regime. It is Isabel Denny's first book.

Kniha Judo je užitečný průvodce historií, filozofií a vývojem, základními prvky a technikami, zásadami chování i vhodného oděvu, obrannými technikami, základními pojmy, ale i adresami národních asociací judu z celého světa.

Publikace 101 světových hrdinů je promyšleně sestavenou sbírkou příběhů a postav, které bychom měli všichni znát. Osobnosti, které byly do knihy zařazeny, spojují jejich hrdinské činy. Autor nepředpokládá že čtenáři budou s jeho výběrem hrdinů souhlasit, ale doufá, že jim kniha přinese zábavu i poučení. Nezabývá se pouze známými historickými fakty, ale všímá si také povahových zvláštností jednotlivých osobností a zabývá se nečekanými historickými souvislostmi. Pohlíží na hrdinství neotřelým způsobem, neboť za hrdiny považuje především ty, kteří jsou ochotni přijímat rizika nejen kvůli vlastní slávě, ale třeba proto, aby chránili slabší.

První významné a zaznamenané projevy jsou spojeny s biblickým obdobím. Čtenář má možnost přenést se na Sinaj, kde Mojžíš předložil Židům desatero božích přikázání nebo prožít atmosféru Ježíšova slavného Kázání na hoře. Spolu s Karlem I. a Oliverem Cromwellem opět prožije emotivní období anglické revoluce či období velkolepého budování nového amerického národa, které nám zprostředkují George Washington a Thomas Jefferson. Spolu s Abrahamem Lincolnem, Martinem Lutherem Kingem, Nelsonem Mandelou si opět připomeneme nezbytnost rasové tolerance, skutečnost, že všichni lidé se rodí sobě rovni bez ohledu na barvu pleti, pohlaví či náboženského vyznání. S tím úzce souvisí přesvědčení, že největší lidskou touhou je touha po svobodě (Jan Pavel II., Nelson Mandela, Václav Havel) a odhodlání nežít v porobě (Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle). Od chvíle, kdy se člověk naučil mluvit a zvláště poté, co vynalezl písmo, mají jazyk i pero mnohdy sílu meče. Slova moudrých lidí mají schopnost inspirovat, ukazovat cestu, poskytovat útěchu a povzbuzení či ztělesnit přání a touhy mnoha lidí. Mohou přinášet morální zásady a inspiraci pro dobrý život, vyjádřit odhodlanou vůli toho, kdo je pronáší, povzbudit ke statečnému boji za vznešené ideály, vést k lepšímu životu ve vzájemné toleranci a úctě, ale nemusí vždy vést k prosazování dobra, nýbrž i k šíření zla. Můžeme z nich vyčíst atmosféru doby, povahové rysy autora i očekávání jeho posluchačstva.

»Sein Verfahren eröffnet eine tatsächlich neue Sicht auf die Geschichte.« Stephan Wackwitz, Die Zeit Die Bonapartes, Rothschilds, die Hohenzollern und die Krupps, die Churchills, Kennedys und die Trumps – mächtigen 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

»Dieses Buch hat Persönlichkeit und eine Seele. Es ist enorm unterhaltsam.« Gerard DeGroot, The Times Mit 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