An insightful and accessible new biography of Alfred Deakin, Australia's second prime minister.
Judith Brett is the award-winning author of Robert Menzies’ Forgotten People, emeritus professor of politics at La Trobe University and one of Australia’s leading political thinkers. She contributes regularly to the Monthly and has written three Quarterly Essays.
‘A biography of immense power that will restore Deakin to his
proper place in the national imagination: the mystic politician who
gave us Australia.’
*David Marr*
‘Judith Brett has resurrected a gallant democrat just when
democracy seems most in need of redemption. This is a deeply
engrossing portrait of a hero for our times, a complex, charismatic
man with a unique capacity to build, to lead, to speak and to
dream. Masterful, tender and utterly compelling.’
*Clare Wright*
‘A fresh, revealing and insightful portrait of one of the great
figures who shaped Australia.’
*Paul Kelly*
'This excellent biography will appeal to general readers, students
and anyone interested in historical biography.’
*Books + Publishing *
‘Brett is a gifted interpreter of politics, past and present, and a
sensitive reader of people, individually and en masse. That she has
been able to encompass The Enigmatic Mr Deakin in fewer than 500
pages, compared with double that of most “landmark” biographies,
attests to a rare kind of writerly judgment: for discerning where
the story lies and, crucially, for knowing what can be left
out.’
*Saturday Paper *
‘Truly one of the great political biographies of our time, a
delicately nuanced, warm and insightful account of—my personal
misgiving aside—one of the most noteworthy political figures in
Australian history.’
*Inside Story*
‘The Enigmatic Mr Deakin stands as the culmination of her work on
the history, politics and philosophy of Australian liberals,
and it is the one biography of Deakin to which we will repeatedly
return. Brett’s writing is capable of extraordinary clarity,
insight and compassion.’
*Mark McKenna, Monthly*
‘This is a fine biography—accessible, perceptive, and in the best
way, sympathetic. Deakin has found the interpreter he deserves for
a modern audience…If our politicians still read books—and sometimes
one does wonder—Judith Brett’s new biography should be required
reading.’
*Australian Book Review *
‘A significant contribution to biography and political history that
is beautifully written and full of interest.’
*Royal Victorian Historical Society*
‘Accessible and informative, this style of biography layers facts
over questions that draw in readers curious about what makes human
beings do the things we do. This is a biography for our times.’
*Daily Review *
‘Judith Brett has rounded out Alfred Deakin in this fascinating
biography that is a delight to read.’
*Boffins Books*
‘For sympathy and insight, Judith Brett’s The Enigmatic Mr
Deakin is a welcome contribution to analysis of Australian
politics. A difficult subject, often deliberately elusive, is
captured with skill. Through close and compelling reading of
Deakin’s private writing, Brett brings to life his political
thinking and spiritual wrestling. An important book.’
*Glyn Davies, Best Books of 2017, Australian Book Review*
‘The Enigmatic Mr Deakin explores our second prime minister’s
career with full attention to his intense inner life and family
relationships. Her title points to the puzzles, but Brett doesn’t
simplify; she ponders, suggests, dramatises. Closely observed and
psychologically persuasive, this is more than a life-and-times; it
is a life.’
*Brenda Niall, Best Books of 2017, Australian Book
Review *
‘Judith Brett’s excellent The Enigmatic Mr
Deakin introduces this Federation-era giant to a modern
audience: a timely reminder of the achievements and failings of a
century ago, and perfect summer reading for any Australian
politician whose aspirations rise above seat-warming.’
*Frank Bongiorno, Best Books of 2017, Australian Book
Review *
‘Judith Brett achieves something rare in political biography: a
synthesis of the public life with the beliefs, doubts, private
struggles, and spiritual inquiry that made The Enigmatic
Mr Deakin our most intriguing prime minister.’
*James Walter, Best Books of 2017, Australian
Book Review *
‘In this engrossing and quietly profound biography, Judith Brett
brings Deakin back into Australia’s contemporary political
imagination, so we can better understand how he shaped the country
we live in today…In this age of increasingly polarised politics,
Brett’s book is at once a warm portrait of a great politician and a
sharp provocation to today’s leaders to forge a better way.’
*John Daley, CEO Grattan Institute, Prime Minister’s Summer Reading
List 2017*
‘A woman’s eye on a powerful man has never felt so penetrating,
perceptive and, surprisingly, loving.’
*Clare Wright, Sydney Morning Herald’s Year in Reading*
‘A richly rewarding excursion into the private mind and emotions
but also into the public life and times of a remarkable individual,
full of surprising detail and profound observations about the
Australian polity…Among the very best political biographies written
in Australia.’
*Judges’ Comments, National Biography Award, 2018*
‘This book is a window into a time of growth and democratisation,
of shifting allegiances towards the common benefit of
nationhood.’
*Inside Story*
‘What makes Brett’s book so rewarding to read is its confident,
supple writing style, intelligent inter-posing of political events
with Deakin’s inner psychic turmoil and shifts in the wider world;
mastery of the facts, and capacity to bring her own balance to
understanding a man who was, as she pointed out, enigmatic.’
*Australian Financial Review*
‘Judith Brett has proven the perfect biographer…’
*Jason Steger on National Biography Award win, Sydney
Morning Herald *
‘A fascinating study of the politics and the times…it brings to
life the history and moments of decision, as well as the paths not
taken. It has much to offer the thinkers of today.’
*Great Escape Books*
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