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Based on the biographies of Winston Churchill and George Orwell, the author shows that these two dissimilar people more than their other contemporaries influenced the ideological structure of post-war Western society. Their weapon was the word, and their books and speeches still have a huge impact on millions of people today. Focusing on the most fruitful period of their lives - the 1930s-1940s - Thomas Ricks not only draws accurate psychological portraits of his heroes, but also recreates a picture of the life of the British Empire of that period in all its splendor and poverty - with colonial aspirations and class contradictions, fatal appeasement policy and passion for fascism on the part of the ruling elite. Reflected in the book and Orwell's participation in the Spanish Civil War, and the decisive role of Churchill during the Second World War. At the same time, Rix does not paint ceremonial portraits of great people, but fearlessly shows his heroes in moments of moral and intellectual rise and emotional and physical decline, manifestations of incredible spiritual strength and frank human weakness.