Bonaparte: 1769–1802 - Hardcover

Patrice Gueniffey; Steven Rendall

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674368355 ISBN 13: 9780674368354

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2015

Synopsis

Patrice Gueniffey is the leading French historian of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic age. This book, hailed as a masterwork on its publication in France, takes up the epic narrative at the heart of this turbulent period: the life of Napoleon himself, the man who in Madame de Stael s words made the rest of the human race anonymous. Gueniffey follows Bonaparte from his obscure boyhood in Corsica, to his meteoric rise during the Italian and Egyptian campaigns of the Revolutionary wars, to his proclamation as Consul for Life in 1802. Bonaparte" is the story of how Napoleon became Napoleon. A future volume will trace his career as emperor. Most books approach Napoleon from an angle the Machiavellian politician, the military genius, the life without the times, the times without the life. Gueniffey paints a full, nuanced portrait. We meet both the romantic cadet and the young general burning with ambition one minute helplessly intoxicated with Josephine, the next minute dominating men twice his age, and always at war with his own family. Gueniffey recreates the violent upheavals and global rivalries that set the stage for Napoleon s battles and for his crucial role as state builder. His successes ushered in a new age whose legacy is felt around the world today. Averse as we are now to martial glory, Napoleon might seem to be a hero from a bygone time. But as Gueniffey says, his life still speaks to us, the ultimate incarnation of the distinctively modern dream to will our own destiny."

About this title

Review:

It is almost inconceivable that there could be a more densely detailed book about Napoleon than this - 800 crowded pages to get him from his birth in 1769 to his acclamation of First Consul for life in 1802. When completed (...) this will be an extremely comprehensive study. As only French biographers can do, every conceivable motive and alternative scenario is presented at every stage in the astonishing rise of the subject [...] to a greater position of power than anyone had exercised in Europe since Charlemagne. [...] No matter how much anyone may have read on the subject, this book will provide some new insights [...] Patrice Gueniffey sees and explains more clearly than foreign biographers usually do [...] This is a very good and thorough book [...]. --Conrad Black, Spectator

A new and comprehensive account of the early phase of Napoleon s life. On its publication in France it was justifiably hailed as a masterpiece.(...) a readable and engaging book has emerged from the translation process. The research for this new biography has taken many years, and Gueniffey has worked his way through the considerable literature on Napoleon and through contemporary material in archives in France and elsewhere. The result is a masterful biography that deconstructs Napoleon to show the myriad aspects of his character. [...] This biography does justice to the scale of its subject, and it is a worthy study of a brilliant but flawed leader.Ultimately, it shows us napoleon s life as the vast canvas that it was, full of the dram and violence of history. --Irish Times

There is little doubt that (this two volume work) will be accepted as the most authoritative biography of Napoleon that we have or are likely to have in the foreseeable future.. As for the content of the book, there can only be full marks. (...) Two cheers for the presentation of the book in its (American) English version. [...] the other images are faithfully reproduced in their glory. At least two further cheers, however, and perhaps another half, for the excellent index (...) and the scholarly notes. Nothing can detract from the quality of the book and the research that has gone into its creation. On top of giving us all that, Gueniffey has left us with an enticing idea of what may be to come. Having skilfully drawn the developing portrait of the young man [...] he leaves us with an arresting image of the Napoleon of April 1802. --Prospect

About the Author:

Patrice Gueniffey is Director of Studies at L' cole des Hautes tudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0674368355
• ISBN 13: 9780674368354
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 1024