Brother Number One: A Political Biography of Pol Pot

Revised Edition

In Cambodia’s recent, tragic past, no figure looms larger or more ominously than that of Pol Pot. In this revised edition of the first book-length study of the man, the historian David P. Chandler throws light on the shadowy figure of Pol Pot, illuminating the ideas and behavior of this enigmatic man and his entourage against the background of post-World War II events, providing a key to understanding this horrific, pivotal period of Cambodian history.

“A dramatic account of Pol Pot’s rise to power in 1975 and his direction of Cambodia’s autogenocide. . . . David Chandler has given us an absorbing and authoritative portrait of Brother Number One and a fascinating insight into Cambodia’s cruel history.”—Frederick Z. Brown, New York Times Book Review

“This first biography of Pol Pot is valuable not just for what it tells us about
Cambodia’s past, but for helping us understand the present and perhaps predict the future. . . . Superbly written, pioneering work. Chandler makes up for the paucity of details about Pol Pot’s life by painting a rich tableau of his times and setting out the historical context of his policies. . . . The only plausible portrait of the man whose gentle persona and brutal actions remain an enduring paradox.”—Nayan Chanda, Far Eastern Economic Review

About the Author

“Chandler’s gracefully written biography of the enigmatic revolutionary of this century, Saloth Sar (alias Pol Pot), deserves wide readership.... Chandler successfully walks a fine line, condemning Pol Pot and all his works, but trying to understand what motivates him.... Recommended without reservation”—Choice

DAVID P. CHANDLER has served as U.S. Foreign Service Officer in Cambodia as well as consultant to the United Nations, U.S. Department of Defense, and Amnesty International. He was research director at the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies at Monash University and is currently a visiting professor at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of many books on Cambodia, including A History of Cambodia, The Tragedy of Cambodian History: Politics, War, and Revolution since 1945 and Voices from S-21.