Benjamin Disraeli remains the most unlikely person to have become Prime Minister of The United Kingdom, even more unlikely he did so as the leader of the Conservative Party. Disraeli was born a Jew and baptised a Christian at the age of twelve, he was very probably gay, certainly flamboyant, wrote a number of best selling novels, and went into politics in part to gain protection from being arrested for debt.
William Kuhn explores a thesis that Disraeli was significantly autobiographical in his novels, not overtly so, that he explored his own life and expressed himself most truthfully in his fiction. Therefore they key to understanding the man lies in his novels and the relationship that writing them played in the rest of his life, political and personal.
Disraeli was surprisingly frank in his novels about his likely sexual orientation,William Kuhn examines each of Disraeli’s novels as commentaries by Disraeli on his own life. They were an opportunity to review himself and his circumstances and to organise his life into a more pleasing pattern. As Disraeli became more involved in politics he wrote much less, he had a different use for words.
Disraeli’s relationships with women were critical, he wrote in one of his books, ” a female friend, amiable, clever, and devoted is a possession more valuable than parks and palaces; and without such a muse, few men can succeed in life,none be content”.
Disraeli had a series of very deep and rewarding friendships with women throughout his life, and while he undoubtedly married for money, his marriage developed in a genuine love relationship.
Benjamin Disraeli was a extraordinary man, he was a dandy but never a fop, a flamboyant writer who loved the power words gave him in politics. He loved pomp and ceremony,he developed a deep friendship with Queen Victoria, had crushes on young men all his life and his deepest relationships were with older women. This book presents a very clear and balanced picture of a very singular man, it is well written, thoughtful and clear. Well worth reading.
