The prize-winning portrait of the master of Realpolitik

'Jérémie Gallon's reexamination of Kissinger's life and personality provides vital lessons for twenty-first century Europe' Michel Barnier, former French Prime Minister

Jérémie Gallon paints an intriguing portrait of the 'master of Realpolitik', drawing lessons from Henry Kissinger's life and actions to explore the creation of a more coherent and resilient foreign policy, particularly in Europe.

Chapters address themes, moments, and characters that shaped Kissinger's career, such as the Harvard years, the centrality of Realpolitik, Jewishness, even football, and his relationships with figures such as Nelson Rockefeller, Richard Nixon, Anwar Sadat, and Zhou Enlai - not to mention his mother Paula. This new English edition includes an additional chapter detailing the author's meeting with Kissinger in Connecticut ten days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Gallon is as interested in the statesman as he is in the man himself, delving into the more glamorous and intimate aspects of his life, yet making no secret of Kissinger's contradictions and the moral accusations levelled against him.