‘Hennessy is the zoologist who went to live in the safari park – he’s the pre-eminent historian of postwar government who got himself a seat in the House of Lords, enabling him to study his subjects close up – and as a result these interviews are unusually informed and revealing.’
The Guardian
‘Peter Hennessy, the political historian and former Times journalist, once said that the main attraction of becoming a peer was so that he could have lunch with his ‘exhibits’. His latest book, Reflections, collects conversations with those exhibits.’
The Times
REVIEWS ‘Peter Hennessy always combines entertaining verve with immense depth of knowledge and that shines through in this collection.’ ‘The art of the interview is to caress, coax and cajole your subject into revealing more about themselves than they ever planned to. Peter Hennessy does just that with verve and panache.’ ‘This is an unusual book. It takes the reader inside the heads of some of the towering politicians of our age. Compelling stuff.’ ‘Peter Hennessy’s conversations with leading politicians of our time have reinvented the political interview. Probing, yet sympathetic, thought-provoking and at times moving, they provide a rare glimpse behind the public face and an insight into the background, inspirations and motivations of these key figures.’ ‘Peter Hennessy is the perfect companion for a walk through the politics that made our time, and those are conversations that tell so much. Sharp, touching and wise.’ ‘A true professional, and worthy of reading and rereading for all those who want to know what makes front-line politicians tick.’ ‘An invaluable resource for historians of late twentieth-century Britain, as well as an entertaining read for those who have lived through it’ Bringing together all the interviews from the BBC radio programme ‘Reflections’ for the first time, The Complete Reflections includes Peter Hennessy’s interviews with the biggest names from the Thatcher era, the New Labour years, and the coalition government of the 2010s. It provides both a fascinating overview of the last three decades of British politics and interim biographies of these public figures during times of great change. Allowing the subjects space to ruminate on the significant, meaningful and controversial chapters in their careers, Hennessy gives up portraits of great authority. PETER HENNES is the author of a postwar trilogy: Never Again Britain: 1945-51, Having It So Good: Britain in the Fifties and Winds of Change: Britain in the Early Sixties. He is also the series editor of the Haus Curiosities series. ROBERT SHEPHERD is a producer of radio and television. His documentary about the Foreign Office for Channel 4’s Dispatches won Europe’s Prix Stendhal.
Martha Kearney
Nick Robinson
Robert Preston
Carolyn Quinn
James Naughtie
Liberator
Conservative History Journal
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Category | |
| Format | |
| Published Date | |
| ISBN | 9781912208982 |
| Pages | 784 |
