Peter C. Newman, known for chronicling the lives of Canada’s biggest, richest, and vainest, has been tapped by Random House Canada to write a biography of Michael Ignatieff, the noted author and academic recently coronated leader of the federal Liberals.

Though in the press release Newman’s editor Anne Collins promises that the book “will surprise and captivate us all,” there are perhaps a few clues to be gleaned from Newman’s own comments on Ignatieff (in the same release):

“We haven’t had a political leader whose intellect is his defining characteristic since Trudeau, and it’s fascinating to watch the ways in which a man like Ignatieff reaches out to rebuild the party and create relationships with voters. He has a real shot at becoming our next prime minister. If he makes it, he’ll be in a position to affect this country’s destiny, and I feel it’s important to have a creative look at him.”

We might also note this, from a Last Word column Newman wrote for Q&Q‘s November 2008 issue: “I can never over-emphasize the validity of Gore Vidal’s admonition that anyone who doesn’t feel paranoid about power is not in full possession of the facts.”