Patriot or Traitor: The Life and Death of Sir Walter Ralegh

Description

A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year 'Talking much is a sign of vanity, for the man who is lavish with words is cheap in deeds.' Sir Walter Ralegh Sir Walter Ralegh was a writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer. He lived more lives than most in his own time, in any time. We do not even know when this fifth son of a Devonshire gentleman was born, yet he went on to 'climb full high' in the England of Queen Elizabeth I. How was such a man able to do this? His life was romantic, irresistible and of central importance to early modern history. Prone to periods of extreme melancholy alternating with extreme activity, here was a liar who believed his own lies. He had a hunger for life, a longing for death, a passion for words ... and a love of silk stockings. Always driven, and always consumed with wonder, Ralegh was a man who pored over maps, asking dangerous questions of the world around him. His death is a convoluted and contested tale of bargaining, failure and betrayal. Through the Elizabethan golden age and Ralegh's famous adventures to the final act, Anna Beer presents his stranger-than-fiction life in all its richness.

Anna Beer is a cultural historian and one of the leading experts on the life and works of Sir Walter Ralegh. She has written biographies of Milton and Lady Bess Ralegh, and Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music, which is also published by Oneworld. She is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford.

'What brings the book to brilliant life is Ralegh's voice. In conversation with his writing, Beer's prose soars... It's hard not to think Sir Walter would have approved.' * Guardian * 'Beer's book is a rigorous and readable take on her subject - it captures the full scope of the character of Ralegh, one that remains frustrating, but endlessly fascinating.' * The Times * 'This beautifully written and impeccably researched biography offers a fresh perspective on one of the most colourful and controversial characters of the Tudor and Stuart age. The hero of Elizabeth I and the scourge of her successor, Ralegh is brought to life as never before.' -- Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors 'With colourful detail and astute interpretation, esteemed historian Beer follows Ralegh's dramatic rise and disastrous fall... the full story is well-told here.' * Booklist * 'Heroic, grasping, gifted, a poet and politician, an explorer, dreamer and schemer - an iconic renaissance man brought vividly to life in this work of maturity, judgement and humanity.' -- Sarah Fraser, author of The Prince Who Would Be King 'A fascinating investigation of Ralegh - bringing to life this complex, mysterious character, and the beginnings of the Elizabethan Empire in all its brutal reality - showing us the world he travelled and the Queen herself, commanding, frustrating, and unpicks the truth of his shocking and rapid fall from power.' -- Kate Williams, author of Rival Queens 'A fascinating reappraisal. Beer brings Ralegh to life as a man, as well as providing exceptional detail on the times in which he lived. I highly recommend it.' -- Elizabeth Norton, author of The Lives of Tudor Women 'Writing with pace and personality, Anna Beer captures Sir Walter Ralegh in all his paradoxical complexity: his bravery and intellectual energy, the man of violence who also wrote passionate poetry, his lust for life competing with a desire for a good death. Sometimes drawn to Ralegh and at other times repelled by him, Anna Beer assays his career with honesty and sharp observation.' -- John Cooper, author of The Queen's Agent 'Much of what we think we know about Sir Walter Ralegh - potatoes, tobacco, spreading his cloak over a "plashy place" - is fable. The real story is far more exciting. Here was a man who both achieved and failed extravagantly, who was both hated and loved excessively, and who both lived life and faced death courageously. In this fascinating, eloquent and scholarly new book, Anna Beer reveals the full measure of the man.' -- Suzannah Lipscomb, author of The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII