Keynote
A brilliant strategist, or the author
of Poland’s military disaster of 1939?
Józef Beck, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs before World War Two,
remains a controversial figure, stoking
the imaginations of historians and many
others.
Selling Points
 A biography of one of the most colourful
Polish politicians of the twentieth century.
 Great politics interwoven with piquant
social scandals and the colourful lives of
the pre-World-War-Two elite.
 A historical panorama of Europe of
the 1930s.
 The description of a fascinating and
extraordinarily complicated diplomatic
game Poland played, squeezed between
Stalin and Hitler.
 Depicts the Third Reich’s path to
invading Poland, step by step, up to
1 September, 1939, the day that actually
began World War Two.
 The authors are great authorities
on the subject, but also know how to
popularise history.
Description
Apart from Józef Piłsudski, he was
the most important Polish politician
before World War Two. In the 1930s,
forced to navigate between Hitler and

Stalin, he also tried to build a strong
position for Poland in the world. He was
the author of the famous words: ‘There is
only one thing in the life of men, nations
and states that is invaluable. That thing
is honour!’ Was abandoning peace at all
costs indeed the correct decision? Could
the fate of Europe turned out different
if it were not for the pride and honour
of interwar Poland? Józef Beck was an
uncommonly colourful figure – a sharp yet
ruthless politician who was also a regular
at the finest salons of his day. He was
at the heart of scandals, both social and
diplomatic, and became a symbol of
the reality of the time, which was snuffed
out forever in 1939. His biography is not
only the tale of a remarkable man, but also
the history of Europe told from an unusual
perspective.
Target Market
Lovers of history books.
Readers of the great politicians’
biographies.