Disraeli: a Personal History by Christopher
Hibbert is just one of the many available biographies of Benjamin Disraeli,
Prime Minister and Earl of Beaconsfield. It is the only one that I have read in
full.
I read it because I hoped to find more examples
of unseen influences at work in Disraeli’s life. I finished it feeling slightly
disappointed as I did not find many examples of what I was looking for.
I also felt a little disillusioned; the great
statesman felt drawn to Westminster not by a vocation or calling, not by principles,
ideology or any sense of public service but by self-interest, inordinate
ambition and vanity. The desire for fame and the need to make his presence felt
at the highest levels of society were Disraeli’s main reasons for entering
politics. He decided that a political career was the best route for getting
where he wanted to go.
The immunity of Members of Parliament from being
arrested for debt had something to do with it too.
With information from the book and some that I found online, I have enough relevant and inspiring
material for another article or two about this fascinating man.
Paving the way for the great destiny to come
Benjamin Disraeli’s father Isaac (D’Israeli)
had all of his children baptised into the Church of England, although he himself
never abandoned Judaism. Benjamin was 12 years old when Isaac took this unusual
step, which was fortunate for him as otherwise he would never have been able to
have a political career.
Predictions of the great destiny to come
I was amused to learn that Disraeli played
Parliament games with his siblings as a boy. He was Prime Minister and the
others were the Opposition.
In Disraeli’s autobiographical novel
Contarini Fleming - A Psychological Romance, which was published in 1834 before
he was even a Member of Parliament, Contarini’s father makes a prophecy that
his son will become Prime Minister of some great state.
