Citizen of the World

One of the most important, exciting biographies of our time: the definitive, major two-volume biography of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Written with unprecedented, complete access to Trudeau’s enormous cache of private letters and papers, bestselling biographer John English delves beyond existing portraits of Trudeau to reveal the man and the multiple influences that shaped his life as one of Canada’s longest-serving heads of government. In doing so, he provides the full context lacking in all previous biographies to date. Volume One explores Trudeau’s early history—family life, education, travels, political induction, relationships, and intimacies—a personal side of Trudeau that has never before been revealed. It also sheds light on the seeds of his genius and charisma, his ambition, his ruthlessness, and his deliberate shaping of the politician and statesman he was to become. In 1938 Trudeau began a diary, which he continued for over two years. It is detailed, frank, and extraordinarily revealing. It is the only diary in Trudeau’ s papers, apart from less personal travel diaries and an agenda for 1937 that contains some commentary. His diary expresses Trudeau’s own need to chronicle the moments of late adolescence as he tried to find his identity. It begins on New Year’s Day 1938 with the intriguing advice: “If you want to know my thoughts, read between the lines!” —from Citizen of the World He wrote to them always, exchanging ideas with the men, intimacies with the women, especially in these early years, and lively descriptions of his life. He even recorded his in-depth psychoanalysis in Paris. This personal side of Trudeau has never been revealed before—and it sheds light on the politician and statesman he became. Volume One ends with his entry into politics, his appointment as Minister of Justice, his meeting Margaret and his election as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada. There, his genius and charisma, his ambition and intellectual prowess, his ruthlessness and emotional character and his deliberate shaping of himself for leadership played out on the national stage and, when Lester B. Pearson announced his retirement as prime minister in 1968, there was but one obvious man for the job: Pierre Trudeau. In 1938 Trudeau began a diary, which he continued for over two years. It is detailed, frank, and extraordinarily revealing. It is the only diary in Trudeau’ s papers, apart from less personal travel diaries and an agenda for 1937 that contains some commentary. His diary expresses Trudeau’s own need to chronicle the moments of late adolescence as he tried to find his identity. It begins on New Year’s Day 1938 with the intriguing advice: “If you want to know my thoughts, read between the lines!” —from Citizen of the World