"A superb, authoritative account of the man and the madness that transformed Cambodia, almost overnight, into hell on earth" --William Grimes, New York Times
“Philip Short’s Pol Pot is an almanac of extermination that achieves the near impossible feat of translating madness into logic. This biography is a tour de force.”—David Levering Lewis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of W. E. B. DuBois

“An intelligent and compassionate account of the Cambodian nightmare.”—The Spectator

“Extraordinary and brilliant... This hugely impressive book is more than just the life story of an individual. It is also the biography of a nation... Short has exposed secrets, knitting together a story which it once seemed would never be told. The result is horrific, but it must be read.”—The Scotsman

“Unerringly broadens the enquiry to the point where serious history begins and serious judgments can be made.”—Financial Times

“A comprehensive and eloquent biography...This is a long, dark and necessary book..”—Literary Review, London

“Short is a gifted biographer who knows his communists. [His account] is the most definitive yet.”—Time [Asian edition]

“Short’s most valuable contribution is to bring clear thinking to the question of blame... He is brisk about the cynical policy of Vietnam... and also indicts the Chinese, who have largely escaped censure for their complicity with the Khmer Rouge.”—Sunday Times, London

“A brilliantly detailed account and a salutary one.”—Sunday Herald, Glasgow