Winston and Clementine Churchill wrote to each other constantly throughout the fifty-seven years of their life together, from the passionate and charming exchanges of their courtship until the year before Winston's death in 1965. Their letters provide rare and revealing insights into both the great political and social events of a turbulent century and the intimate world of an extraordinary partnership. Mary Soames, the only surviving child of this remarkable couple, has brought her parents to life as no biographer could. In moving detail we hear of Churchill's dramatic career and his final, deeply felt reflections on the fading of his enormous powers. And we hear Clementine, responding with her love and advice, and her belief in his destiny. Bringing these letters together for the first time, WINSTON AND CLEMENTIME is a surprising portrait of one of history's most significant figures.

From the First World War battlefields, Winston Churchill sent this confession to his wife Clementine: "I do not ever show anything but a smiling face to the military world: a proper complete detachment and contentment. But so it is a relief to write one's heart out to you. Bear with me." For 57 years he wrote his "heart out" to his wife, and this collection of their letters, gathered together for the first time by their youngest daughter, reveals a couple who shared a life of exceptional romance and adventure.

Winston Churchill is primarily known as the man who warned the world against (as he refers to him in these letters) "that gangster" Hitler, led the battle against the Nazis, and cut a charming figure as the cigar-smoking, top-coat-and-tails Prime Minister of England. Yet what is immediately striking about these letters is how, unburdened from the "proper complete detachment" of his public persona, Churchill reveals such vulnerability and tenderness. Beginning each letter to his wife with "my darling" and signing off with "ever devoted," he constantly expresses his love, need, and admiration in language that would put a poet to shame. And in another twist on stereotypes, Clementine is less doting nurturer than clever strategist. Avidly interested in politics, she expresses her own strong views and often challenges her husband's decisions, even going so far as to refuse to pass on a letter Winston wrote to Prime Minister Asquith because she believes it will bring her husband political doom. Her perceptive predictions about people and events are almost always borne out to be correct. One can understand why Churchill graciously admits: "I cannot tell you how much I treasure and count on your aid and counsel."

While Winston and Clementine were two of the most celebrated figures in England, they chose to lead a life which was less about power and wealth, and more about curiosity and adventure. First Lady Clementine has little time for place-settings and home decor, and instead sets off on numerous brave journeys -- chasing lizards in Indonesia, reporting on social conditions in the West Indies, and heading up a Red Cross center in Russia. Winston's dispatches also come from far beyond 10 Downing Street: He reads Pride and Prejudice in Marrakech, dines with Eisenhower in Tunisia, and meets up with President Roosevelt in Morocco. And while he reports his strategic meetings with men such as Mussolini and Stalin, his observations on famous non-political types are often his most amusing and witty. He finds the American media magnate Randolph Hearst to be "a grave simple child playing with the most nasty toys." After watching the glamorous French designer catch 50 salmon, he writes that "Coco Chanel is really a great and strong being fit to rule a man or an empire."

While these letters contain a trove of historical gems, they are most fascinating for their revelations of the 'secrets' of a truly equal and passionate marriage. Through the eyes of this poetic and perceptive couple, who never sink into arrogance or cruelty, we gain insight into great events and into the power of an enduring and faithful love.
Margot Towne is a freelance writer living in New York City.

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