Juan Carlos by Paul Preston
A powerful biography of Spain's great king, Juan Carlos. How did a playful, moody young prince, educated to sustain Franco's dicatorship, mature into the skilful, calm and brave king who defended Spain's infant democracy from siege and then nurtured it into health? It's a fascinating story, given definitively here in this gripping portrait.‘This is that rare thing – a work of academic history that is also an absorbing narrativeAnd its great merit is to remind us that at the centre of all the dynastic wrangling, political conspiracy and media speculation stands a man who has often felt very alone.’ The Economist
‘FOR more than 40 years a veil has been drawn over one of the most tragic episodes in the life of King Juan Carlos of Spain. Just before Easter 1956, his brother, Alfonso, 14, was shot dead with a .22 calibre pistol while the 18-year-old Juan Carlos was alone with him. The king’s authorised biography made no mention of the incident. But light has been shed on it by Paul Preston, a professor at the LSE, whose biography laying bare the king’s private life has reached No 1 in the Spanish bestseller lists. Preston’s book has caused a furore by suggesting the future monarch may have pulled the trigger. It says he admitted to a friend he had been holding the gun at the time. The professor has given more than 60 interviews to the Spanish media and has been bombarded with hate mail and death threats.’ Sunday Times, 11 May 2003
Paul Preston CBE FBA is Principe de Asturias Professor of Spanish History and Director of the Canada Blanch Centre at the LSE. Born and raised in Liverpool, educated at Oxford, he has taught in Reading, Rome and London. He lives in north London with his wife and their two sons. And he supports Everton FC.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780002556323 |
| ISBN 10 | 0002556324 |
| Title | Juan Carlos |
| Author | Paul Preston |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Year published | 2004-05-04 |
| Number of pages | 624 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |