The Three Lives of Charles De Gaulle

by David Schoenbrun

Overview

"[O]ne of the best introductions in English to this awkward and impressive figure which constantly reminds us that men of destiny make difficult company... an honest and enjoyable book." — Political Science Quarterly

"David Schoenbrun wrote his book from the vantage-point of frequent personal contacts with de Gaulle and many years residence in France. He blends biography and history, equally concerned with his protagonist's mind and character as with the sequence of events, in this well-balanced account of de Gaulle the Soldier, the Savior of France, and the Statesman. Schoenbrun finds much to admire in the soldier, but he grows more critical as the Messianic de Gaulle rises or climbs to the dizzy heights of the Presidency which thanks to de Gaulle's Constitution now has more power than the king who proclaimed "l'état c'est moi"... this enthralling book is well worth reading." — World Affairs

"David Schoenbrun is a top CBS newsman and analyst with an impressive accessibility to the great and knowledge of politics, in particular French politics... he applies his experience and qualifications to the task of presenting formidable Charles de Gaulle of France. It is a full dress biography." — Kirkus

"Au total, le portrait sympathique que Schoenbrun brosse de de Gaulle vient à propos en un temps où beaucoup d'Américains critiquent âprement la politique et la personne du Président français. Par sa narration des évènements de la seconde guerre mondiale, il justifie l'attitude qu'observera souvent de Gaulle à l'égard de l'Angleterre et des Etats-Unis, ce qui ne l'empêche pas de montrer de Gaulle manœuvrant pour s'attribuer le pouvoir suprême, conformément à la doctrine développée dans son livre Le fil de l'épée, où se révèlent ses ambitions dictatoriales et, en même temps, un sens politique assez aigu, qui lui permet de comprendre qu'une dictature n'est concevable que soutenue par un large courant populaire." — Revue d'histoire de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale

Product Details

BN ID:	2940184441771
Publisher:	Plunkett Lake Press
Publication date:	11/03/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Born in New York City, David Schoenbrun (1915-1988) graduated from City College in 1934 and taught high school French and Spanish before working as a free-lance writer on foreign affairs to later become one of America’s most distinguished and versatile journalists, noted for his radio and television broadcasts, lectures, articles and books. Schoenbrun went to Europe in 1941 with the War Information Office as editor of the Western European desk. After joining the US Army in 1943, he was assigned to General Eisenhower’s headquarters in Algiers in Military Intelligence and went into France in the 1944 Provence landings as a combat correspondent with the First French Army.

In 1947 Edward R. Murrow recruited Schoenbrun to CBS and appointed him chief Paris correspondent for CBS News. He reported the birth of the State of Israel and its war of independence in 1948. In 1961, Schoenbrun became CBS’s chief correspondent in Washington, where he reported on the Kennedy years. In 1964 he left CBS to write books and work in free-lance broadcasting, appearing nightly on Channel 11-TV (NY) and on network talk shows.

His books include As France Goes, The Three Lives of Charles de Gaulle, Vietnam: How We Got In; How To Get Out, Triumph in Paris: The Exploits of Benjamin Franklin, America Inside Out, Soldiers of the Night: The Story of the French Resistance and On and Off the Air: An Informal History of CBS News.

Schoenbrun was awarded France’s Palmes Littéraires, Croix de Guerre and Légion d’honneur with rank of Chevalier, the Overseas Press Club Award for Best Radio Reporting from Abroad (1953), Best Television Reporting from Abroad (1955), Best Book for As France Goes (1957), Best Magazine Article of the Year (1959) and the Alfred I. Dupont Award as Best Commentator of the Year (1960).