In the first full-length biography since Robert Payne's twenty years ago, the distinguished biographer, Ronald W. Clark has delved into a massive and complex historical record to shape a highly readable account of one of the most charismatic and powerful figures of this century.

In the absence of Lenin's leadership the 1917 revolution in Russia probably would have failed. What emerges in Clark's portrait is not just Lenin's uncanny and ruthless singlemindedness in pursuit of the goals of Marxism but also his extraordinary appetite for work - a tireless energy that far outpaced the capacities of his comrades; and his intuitive genius for politics and organization - skills that enabled him to orchestrate the success of the Bolshevik revolution and sustain it against incredible odds. In LENIN, Clark traces his subject's obscure beginnings, his politicization, his life in exile. Until now, little attention has been paid to Lenin's private life - the Lenin who appreciated a night at the Folies Bergère and the roistering of a Swiss carnival - a gap that Clark has filled with this book. The early cloak-and-dagger years - the narrow escapes, the ludicious disguises, the infamous journey across Germany in the sealed train - are compelling stories, but equally gripping is the account of Lenin's later years when, his remarkable vigor leached away by chronic insomnia and piercing headaches, he struggled to thwart the ominous power plays of Joseph Stalin.

The attempts by the Western allies during and after World War I to come to grips with the new Soviet regime make fascinating reading, as do Bertrand Russell's recorded impressions of private conversations with both Lenin and Trotsky. Portraits of Stalin, Trotsky, Maxim Gorky, and others further enrich this account of one of the most fascinating and portentous periods in modern history.

Born in London, the late Ronald W. Clark was a WWII war correspondent; he landed in France on D-Day and later covered the Nuremberg trials. His other books include widely acclaimed biographies of Einstein, Freud, Darwin, Bertrand Russell, and Benjamin Franklin.

(Taken from the inside jacket material of the First U.S. Edition, 1988.)