The Chancellor

The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel

By: Kati Marton

Narrated by: Alex Allwine, Kati Marton

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

An intimate and deeply researched account of the extraordinary rise and political brilliance of the most powerful - and elusive - woman in the world.

Angela Merkel has always been an outsider. A pastor’s daughter raised in Soviet-controlled East Germany, she spent her 20s working as a research chemist, only entering politics after the fall of the Berlin Wall. And yet within 15 years, she had become chancellor of Germany and, before long, the unofficial leader of the West.

Acclaimed author Kati Marton sets out to pierce the mystery of this unlikely ascent. With unparalleled access to the chancellor’s inner circle and a trove of records only recently come to light, she teases out the unique political genius that is the secret to Merkel’s success. No other modern leader has so ably confronted authoritarian aggression, enacted daring social policies and calmly unified an entire continent in an era when countries are becoming only more divided. Again and again, she’s cleverly outmanoeuvred strongmen like Putin and Trump, and weathered surprisingly complicated relationships with allies like Obama and Macron.

Famously private, the woman who emerges here is a role model for anyone interested in gaining and keeping power while staying true to one’s moral convictions. At once a riveting political biography, an intimate human portrait and a revelatory look at successful leadership in action, The Chancellor brings forth from the shadows one of the most extraordinary women of our time.

©2021 Kati Marton (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"An intimate, insightful portrait of an extraordinarily private leader." (Walter Isaacson, best-selling author of Enemies of the People)

"With her signature superpowers of rigorous research and unparalleled empathy, Marton brings us deep into the private sphere of Angela Merkel. At a time when Merkel stands among the world's most critical defenders of democracy, Marton traces her life to reveal how she has come to embody the principles both the writer and her subject live by." (Eliza Griswold, author Amity and Prosperity, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in General Non-Fiction)

"A compelling and memorable portrait.... Angela Merkel’s life is a testament to the power of commitment, diligence, and the possibilities of politics. The Chancellor tells that story with insight and grace." (Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of His Truth Is Marching On)

truly amazing person, wonderfully told

probably the best biography I have read. I realised her as the most important person to guide the world.

Factual and well written

It is was inspiring, well written. fun and easy to read, positivity and hard work throughout.

Enlighten and interesting

A great book. Angela Merkel is a smart, interesting and courageous woman and I very much enjoyed listening about her and her life.
This book enlightened me about the overall state of the world, and democracy, and importance of Merkel’s role in protecting freedoms for all in the west