Historical political biography is a popular genre, capable of reaching a wide audience. It is also a genre closely associated with the modern nation-state. It often recounts the lives of great men in the service of the nation, but is there a way beyond this methodological nationalism?

Living Political Biography revisits biography as a historical and narrative genre. It explores and explicates the new analytical potentials of political biographical research in view of the recent transnational and sociological 'turns' in international and European political history. In doing so, the book attempts to facilitate exhange between scholars of biographical and 20th century European political historical research.