This book, a biography on Francis Bacon, is inspired by the friendship the author had with Bacon and based on records of the conversations that took place since 1963. The book forms the first comprehensive account of the artist's life and his work.

Part One: 1909–44 1. Origins and Upbringing, 1909–26 2. Educated Abroad: Berlin and Paris, 1926–28 3. A Brief Apprenticeship, 1928–33 4. 'Insufficiently Surreal', 1933–39 5. A Vision Without Veils, 1939–44 Part Two: 1944–63 6. Father Figures and Crucifixions, 1944–46 7. Towards Other Shores, 1946–50 8. Hounded by Furies, 1950–54 9. Truth Told by a Lie, 1954–58 10. Recognition at Home: The Tate Retrospective, 1958–63 Part Three: 1963–92 11. 'A Brilliant Fool Like Me', 1963–69 12. All the Honours of Paris, 1969–72 13. Elegy for the Dead, 1972–75 14. 'My Exhilarated Despair', 1975–81 15. Alone in the Studio, 1981–84 16. 'The Greatest Living Painter', 1984–92