A historian of power's intimate worlds
He turned Beria's presence at Stalin's deathbed, and the evidence around the poisoning theory, into a historical question rather than a settled legend.
A British historian and writer, he is known for combining political history with vivid portraits of rulers and their private worlds. Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar reconstructed Stalin's rule and inner circle from newly available documents and testimony, including evidence concerning Beria at Stalin's death and the theory that Stalin was poisoned. He later broadened his scope with Young Stalin, Jerusalem: The Biography, and The Romanovs, bringing the long history of revolution, empire, and dynasty to a wide readership.
Career Timeline
- 1965Born in London
- 1983Read history at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
- 1991Published his first novel, King's Parade
- 2001Published Catherine the Great and Potemkin
- 2003Published Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar
- 2007Published Young Stalin
- 2011Published Jerusalem: The Biography and presented a television documentary series
- 2016Published The Romanovs: 1613–1918