A CERTAIN IDEA OF FRANCE

Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize for History the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography the American Library in Paris Award the Franco British Society Literary Prize and the Grand Prix de la Biographie Politique du TouquetA SUNDAY TIMES THE TIMES DAILY TELEGRAPH NEW STATESMAN SPECTATOR FINANCIAL TIMES TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR Masterly awesome reading an outstanding biography Max Hastings Sunday TimesIn six weeks in the early summer of 1940 France was over run by German troops and quickly surrendered The French government of Marshal Pétain sued for peace and signed an armistice One little known junior French general refusing to accept defeat made his way to England On 18 June he spoke to his compatriots over the BBC urging them to rally to him in London Whatever happens the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished At that moment Charles de Gaulle entered into history For the rest of the war de Gaulle frequently bit the hand that fed him He insisted on being treated as the true embodiment of France and quarrelled violently with Churchill and Roosevelt He was prickly stubborn aloof and self contained But through sheer force of personality and bloody mindedness he managed to have France