About the Book:

Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle were thrown together by war. They incarnated the resistance of Britain and France to the existential threat from Nazi Germany, and their ultimate victory over Hitler has ensured their achievements will never be forgotten. But, as The Last Titans: Churchill and de Gaulle shows, that is only a part of a complex story. Both men influenced their countries, and the world around them, long after the war was won.

There was a paradox in the parallel and intertwined lives of these extraordinary men. De Gaulle - tall, gauche and incorruptible - exhibited qualities often associated with the English. Churchill - short, charming, witty and a bon vivant - resembled the quintessential politician of the French Third Republic. Their working relationship was rarely smooth, but they appreciated each other's stature: de Gaulle said Churchill was 'the great artist of a great history', while Churchill recognised de Gaulle as 'l'homme du destin'.

Wolfson Prize-winning historian Richard Vinen explores what made these men exceptional and how profoundly they were influenced by their national cultures. Beyond personal intrigue, the book makes a wider point that Britain and France are both haunted by perceptions of past greatness. Vinen retraces the paths of two leaders who once helmed superpowers but lived to see their nations weakened by two world wars and the loss of empires.

About the Author:

Richard Vinen is a Professor of History at Kings College London. He was previously a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge and, more recently, an archive by-fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge. He has written for the New York Times, TLS, Guardian, Independent, Financial Times and Literary Review, among others. He has appeared frequently on radio and television. He has published widely on British, French and European history and, in 2015, won the Wolfson Prize for history.