How hard is it to cut through the legacy a historical figure has left behind and get to know them as a human being? In literature and beyond, great leaders like Winston Churchill are deservedly lauded for their steady leadership and brilliant decision-making in times of enormous crisis. Any writer who seeks to document these figures’ lives from a fresh angle—an angle that captures the subtleties of their personalities, the tense and ugly aspects of their careers in addition to their noble victories—might find themselves facing an enormous challenge, swimming against the currents of popular narrative and collective memory.
Erik Larson has proven himself to be more than capable of rising to meet this challenge. In The Splendid and the Vile, he focuses on a very specific period of time during Churchill’s tenure as Prime Minister: the German Luftwaffe’s aerial bombing attacks on England from 1940-1941, also known as the Blitz. Drilling down into Churchill’s thoughts and behaviors at such a pivotal moment in England’s history shows us how Churchill shaped the outcome of the Great War not in spite of his controversial leadership style and various eccentric qualities, but because of them.
Larson’s aim is not just to document the past, but to retell it with the sharpness of a camera lens perfectly focused on his subjects. He goes over the most important arenas of Churchill’s life during the year of the Luftwaffe attacks—including his peculiar daily habits, his colorful political associates, and his tumultuous family life—with a fine-toothed comb. Every person and place is revisited periodically to show readers how Churchill and his most meaningful relationships evolved in response to the changing state of the war and the looming threat of Nazi invasion. Some passages are so vivid that I almost pictured Churchill emerging from the page. I particularly relished the passages that captured scenes at his beloved country home, Chequers, where he hosted important guests throughout the Blitz period:
“After dinner, fueled by brandy, he fired up the Chequers gramophone and began to play military marches and songs. He brought out a big-game rifle…and began to march to the music, one of his favorite evening pastimes. He then executed a series of rifle drills and bayonet maneuvers, looking in his rompers like a fierce pale blue Easter egg gone to war.”
P. 390
Moments like the one above (which many war historians would omit from their narratives) are what Larson describes in the greatest detail, both because they reveal the person behind the politician and because they underscore the tremendous burdens resting on Churchill’s shoulders at the time. Churchill was dancing with joy after the United States confirmed the passage of the Lend-Lease Bill, which effectively entitled England to borrow US weapons of war in its fight against Germany. Those who have read up to this passage will understand the pain Churchill endured as he tried repeatedly to convince U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the gravity of Britain’s situation. In such a short block of text, we see a leader who was many things at once: desperate and determined, grim and bright, vulnerable and confident.
Larson also emphasizes that Churchill did not guide his country through one of the most difficult years of its history alone. He was part of an intricate web of family members, friends, and colleagues, all of whom strengthened and challenged him in different ways. I particularly enjoyed learning about Professor Frederick Lindemann, or “the Prof,” Churchill’s scientific advisor and dear friend, as well as Churchill’s private secretary, John Colville, who kept detailed diaries of his experiences as part of Churchill’s inner circle. Additionally, diary entries from Churchill’s youngest daughter, Mary, allow readers to view the unfolding of the war through the eyes of an adolescent.
Larson takes care to give Churchill’s family, friends, and associates the same emotional and intellectual layers that he gives to Churchill himself. A passage I find particularly memorable highlights Colville’s discovery of a downed Luftwaffe bomber in a countryside field:
“It was one thing to experience the war at a ministerial remove, quite another to see firsthand evidence of its violence and cost. Here was a German bomber lying in countryside as classically English as any traveler could imagine…an alien mechanical presence…Once a terrifying symbol of modern warfare, the bomber lay emasculated in the field, a mere relic to view before returning home for tea.”
p.175
The Splendid and the Vile is not just an account of Churchill’s strategic decision-making in wartime (though there is plenty of this discussed); it’s also an account of his relationships. Larson clearly understands that no man is an island and history’s greatest leaders did not achieve anything alone. As I read, I felt as though I was watching that tense year between 1940-1941 unfold through the eyes of several observers, each of whom had a valuable perspective to offer.
While I find it difficult to sum up my overall impressions of such an intricate historical account, I will conclude by noting that this is the best biography I’ve read in a very long time. I appreciated Larson’s nuanced treatment of Churchill and the people in Churchill’s life, as well as the sensitivity with which Larson regarded the most pressing social issues faced by the English population during wartime. I’ve had the pleasure of reading Larson’s Devil in the White City, but I will absolutely take care to pick out another one of his books the next time I’m in the nonfiction section of a bookstore.
