Chapter2. Churchill in literature and politics
1.1 Early life and literature
Born in 1874 on November 30, in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, Winston Churchill was a shy and unsociable child. The chunky lad with a mop of red hair talked with a stutter and lisp and found school a tiring ordeal. Affection on the part of his parents lacked because of hectic schedules, especially that of his father – Lord Randolph Churchill, a leader in the Conservative Party, and because of the many duties of his mother – Lady Jennie Jerome Churchill. He later wrote about her She shone for me like the Evening Star. I loved her dearly but at a distance.
Because of his low marks in school and because Lord Randolph had often seen his son playing with toy soldiers, the father decided what was best for the young lad – a career as a soldier. In 1893 when Churchill was 18 years old he submitted an application to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and he failed the entrance examination twice before passing them. After graduation he was 8th in a class of 150 pupils.
Young Winston wanted action right after his graduation and so, using his family connections, he went to Cuba where the local people had revolved against their Spanish rulers. After Cuba, the next stop was Bangalore, India where his regiment was sent. From Cuba he returned with a love for Havana cigars and from India he acquired a fondness for polo. Here he also read books that he refused to reading school.
Churchill’s career as a reporter began with the conflict between British forces and Pathan tribesmen, in India, where he had been sent while working for two newspapers. Here je joined the guard of the Malakand Field Force taking part in hand-to-hand fighting. The experience led to the “birth” of Churchill’s first book – The Story of the Malakand Field Force.
After leaving India, the young reporter headed to Sudan, a country which was under British attack. The two armies confronted each other in a remote area...