Mao Zedong was one of the most important figures of the twentieth century, the most important in the history of modern china. A complex figure, he was champion of the poor and brutal tyrant, poet and despot.

Mao brought his country from poverty and economic backwardness into the modern age and onto the world stage. But he was also responsible for an unprecedented loss of life. The disastrous great leap forward with its accompanying famine and the bloody cultural revolution were Mao’s creations.

Thanks to Pantsov and Levine, we now have the full story of Mao’s life and rule as never before.