Revolution Française: Emmanuel Macron and the quest to reinvent a nation - Hardcover

Pedder, Sophie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1472948602 ISBN 13: 9781472948601

Publisher: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2018

Synopsis

He emerged from nowhere to seize the presidency, defeat populism and upend French party politics. Who is Emmanuel Macron? How far can he really change France?

In Revolution Française, Sophie Pedder examines the first year in office of France's youngest and most exciting president in modern times, with unique perspective from her time as head of The Economist's Paris bureau. President Emmanuel Macron's vision for France is far more radical than many realise. His remarkable ascent from obscurity to the presidency is both a dramatic story of personal ambition and the tale of a wounded once-proud country in deep need of renewal. What shaped this enigmatic character, the precociously bright student and talented networker from northern France; the philosophy graduate and Rothschild banker who married his school drama teacher? How did a political outsider manage to defy the unwritten rules of the Fifth Republic and secure the presidency at his first attempt? And what are the underlying ideas behind his vision?

This book chronicles Macron's remarkable rise from independent outsider to the Élysée Palace, situating the achievement in a broader context: France's slide into self-doubt, political gridlock and a seeming reluctance to embrace change; the roots of populism and discontent; the fractures caused by globalisation and the Le Pen factor. Looking back on the young president's dramatic first year in power, with analysis of his key reforms and lofty ambitions, it asks how far it is possible for Macron to reinvent a conservative nation uneasy about embracing the future. Can the man nicknamed 'Jupiter' really return France to its former greatness, or will he, by the time his mandate expires, end up as just another side note in political history? Punctuated with first-hand conversations and reporting, this book takes on all of these questions, concluding with a fascinating and exclusive interview with Macron recorded in early 2018. Pedder's riveting, and essential, book will be one of the most captivating political books of this year.

About this title

About the Author

Sophie Pedder has been the Paris Bureau Chief of The Economist since 2003. As well as writing for The Economist, she has had articles published in Prospect, Foreign Affairs, Le Monde, Paris-Match and Le Figaro, among others. She appears regularly to comment on French politics on CNN, the BBC and other media. In 2012 JC Lattès published her (French) book Le Déni Français, which Reuters described as a 'media phenomenon'.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Continuum
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1472948602
• ISBN 13: 9781472948601
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320