The political lives of tyrants play out human affairs with a special intensity: the death of a democratic leader long after his… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
Real stories - whether in pure fiction or historical - have a certain indefinable power; we are endlessly curious about the past… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
It is a characteristic of potentates that they don't succumb to peaceful retirement. Instead, they hold power in their hoary fists as… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
Unlike monarchs, who pass power to their heirs at the moment of death to ensure the survival of the regime, tyrants must… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
Russia is so feudal in its system of patronage and reward that it is virtually impossible for a leader to hand over… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
The unspoken contract between ruler and subject is that in return for safety, prosperity, and prestige, the Russians entrust power and cede… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
Trump wants to be the first American tsar. With his hero worship of Putin, his admiration for the apparent omnipotence of the Kremlin, schoolboyish… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
“History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind." --- Edward Gibbon” — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
Every Russian emperor from Peter the Great to Stalin and Putin knows a leader and his security agencies must never be parted. His safety… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
“Sex fills a few hours of our lives yet those precious minutes count for more than months and years” — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
“Iraq was already in the grip of a bloody insurgency against British rule. Churchill therefore called a conference in Cairo to hand over a… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
I don't think Jerusalem should be controlled 100% by religious people of any denomination, sect, or religion - even my own. — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
The memoirs of the Grand Duchess Olga are an entertaining record for anyone interested in the imperial family's home life during the last years… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
I am a passionate nonfinisher. Life is too short, and there are too many great books to read, so if I lose interest or… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
There is a view of Russian exceptionalism, that they are a unique civilisation, a view right since Ivan the Terrible that Russia is a… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
The political lives of tyrants play out human affairs with a special intensity: the death of a democratic leader long after his retirement is… — Simon Sebag Montefiore Copy Share Image
