This week's new books

Michelangelo: A Tormented Life, Antonio Forcellino (Polity Press)
A biography of Michelangelo which draws on the artist’s memoirs and personal correspondence to explore his life and character, times and works, as well as his changing religious views and the politics of patronage in Renaissance Italy.



Rommel’s Desert War, Martin Kitchen (Cambridge University Press)
A history of the Axis campaign in North Africa which provides a reassessment of the key battles of 1941-43, Rommel’s generalship and the campaign’s place within the broader context of the war.



Russia Against Napoleon: The Battle for Europe, 1807 to 1814, Dominic Lieven (Allen Lane)
Told from the Russian’s viewpoint, the story of how the Russian army went from retreat and defeat in 1812, following the French invasion led by Napoleon, to becoming the new liberators of Europe, less than two years later.



The Crimean War in the British Imagination, Stephanie Markovits (Cambridge University Press)
Focusing on the journalism, novels, poetry and visual art produced in response to the Crimean War, the author demonstrates the influence of the conflict on British literary culture and how it changed perceptions of heroism and national identity.