Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution - Softcover

Simon Schama

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140087281 ISBN 13: 9780140087284

Publisher: Penguin, 1990

Synopsis

From the author of "The Embarrassment of Riches", this is a history of the French Revolution. At the heart of this account is the story of the transformation of "subjects" to "citizens". The author aims to show a France infatuated with novelty and technology in the midst of dramatic economic change. The darkening of the original euphoric vision of liberty into a scenario of hunger, anger, terror and death is the author's theme, as he draws on available material of social and cultural history. "Citizens" was winner of the 1990 NCR Book Award for Non-Fiction, which is considered to be the most lucrative literary prize given in this country.

About this title

Review

" Dazzling...stimulating...This is no ordinary book...Schama does not merely write brilliantly about people, about events, about the abuse of rhetoric, and about festivals and executions. He also chronicle with a dramatic burst of poetic imagination.... The virtues of this book [lie] in the coruscating brilliance of dazzling display of erudition and intelligence ... His chronicle is, after all, a stunningly virtuoso performance." -- Lawrence Stone, The New Republic
" One of The Best Books Of The Decade." -- Time
" Monumental...a delight to read...Lively descriptions of major events, colorful cameos of leading characters (and obscure ones too), bring them to life here as no other general work has done....Above all, Mr. Schama tells a story, and he tells it well." -- The New York Times Book Review
" Citizens, like the great 19th-century narratives it emulates, makes entertainment and erudition work hand in hand....As no other recent historian of the revolution, Schama brings to life the excitement -- and harrowing terror -- of an epochal human event." -- Newsweek
" A fresh and elegant narrative...A brilliantly readable and beautifully illustrated account." -- Washington Post Book World
" We are in the hands of a master storyteller...Vivid, dramatic, thought-provoking...Schama's portrait of the revolution is often surprising...His splendid recounting convinces us that much of what we thought we knew is wrong." -- Time

"Dazzling...stimulating...This is no ordinary book...Schama does not merely write brilliantly about people, about events, about the abuse of rhetoric, and about festivals and executions. He also chronicle with a dramatic burst of poetic imagination.... The virtues of this book [lie] in the coruscating brilliance of dazzling display of erudition and intelligence ... His chronicle is, after all, a stunningly virtuoso performance." -- Lawrence Stone, The New Republic
"One of The Best Books Of The Decade." -- Time
"Monumental...a delight to read...Lively descriptions of major events, colorful cameos of leading characters (and obscure ones too), bring them to life here as no other general work has done....Above all, Mr. Schama tells a story, and he tells it well." -- The New York Times Book Review
"Citizens, like the great 19th-century narratives it emulates, makes entertainment and erudition work hand in hand....As no other recent historian of the revolution, Schama brings to life the excitement -- and harrowing terror -- of an epochal human event." -- Newsweek
"A fresh and elegant narrative...A brilliantly readable and beautifully illustrated account." -- Washington Post Book World
"We are in the hands of a master storyteller...Vivid, dramatic, thought-provoking...Schama's portrait of the revolution is often surprising...His splendid recounting convinces us that much of what we thought we knew is wrong." -- Time

About the Author

Simon Schama is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University and the prize-winning author of seventeen books, includingThe Embarrassment of Riches, Citizens, Landscape and Memory, Rembrandt's Eyes, the History of Britain trilogy andThe Story of the Jews. He is a contributing editor of theFinancial Timesand his award-winning television work as writer and presenter for the BBC includes the fifteen-partA History of Britainand the eight-part, Emmy-winningPower of Art."

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0140087281
• ISBN 13: 9780140087284
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 976