King of Kings: The Triumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia [Paperback]

Haile Selassie I, the last emperor of Ethiopia, was as brilliant as he was formidable. An early proponent of African unity and independence who claimed to be a descendant of King Solomon, he fought with the Allies against the Axis powers during World War II and was a messianic figure for the Jamaican Rastafarians. But the final years of his empire saw turmoil and revolution, and he was ultimately overthrown and assassinated in a communist coup.

Written by Asfa-Wossen Asserate, Haile Selassie’s grandnephew, this is the first major biography of this final “king of kings.” Asserate, who spent his childhood and adolescence in Ethiopia before fleeing the revolution of 1974, knew Selassie personally and gained intimate insights into life at the imperial court. Introducing him as a reformer and an autocrat whose personal history—with all of its upheavals, promises, and horrors—reflects in many ways the history of the twentieth century itself, Asserate uses his own experiences and painstaking research in family and public archives to achieve a colorful and even-handed portrait of the emperor.

Born in Addis Ababa,Asfa-Wossen Asserateis an author and corporate consultant who resides in Frankfurt am Main.Peter Lewis is the translator of such works as Roger Willemsen’s The Ends of the Earthand Jonas Lüscher’sBarbarian Spring, both also published by Haus Publishing.

Foreword
Prologue: Who Was Haile Selassie?
Notes on the text

1. A childhood in Harar
2. Two Cousins vie for power
3. The Ethiopian Machiavelli
4. The Elect of God
5. The darkest of God
6. The Lion of Judah returns
7. Shots across the bows
8. Shaking hands with history
9. An empty house
10. Haile Selassie’s legacy
Notes
Ethiopian Imperial Titles, in descending order of rank
Glossary
Family tree
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