In the tumultuous world of revolutionary France, the enigmatic diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord survived – and shaped – five regimes. Duff Cooper’s elegant biography reveals a man as brilliant as he was controversial; the ‘quick-witted little boy’ who enjoyed the anachronistic world of his great-grandmother’s château became the shrewd, silver-tongued servant of multiple kings and revolutionary leaders. From the salons of pre-revolutionary Paris to the negotiating tables of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna, the turncoat Talleyrand exercised his wit, pragmatism and moral ambiguity. Was he a self-serving survivor or a principled architect of peace? His story, told here with rich contextual detail and a light, entertaining touch, exemplifies the enduring art of diplomacy.

Duff Cooper (1890–1954), politician, diplomat and political historian, was Ambassador to France during WWII.