After Waterloo, Napoleon gave himself up to the British, expecting to end his days leading the life of a country gentleman. Instead he was exiled to the remote island of St. Helena where he was to spend the last six years of his life in a house called Longwood. Jean-Paul Kauffmann, who was himself imprisoned as a hostage in Beirut for three years, visits Longwood and sits for days in the French Emperor s simple room in an attempt to understand those years of exile. The past seeps into the present and the house slowly comes alive with the great man s presence. Napoleon was accompanied to St. Helena by a faithful few whose eye-witness accounts reveal how he coped with his captivity and how it finally crushed him. The Dark Room at Longwood is Kauffmann s journey back into the past and a finely written, highly evocative exploration of Napoleon s final years.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
This is an unusually intelligent, elegiac book; not merely an account of Napoleon's last days in exile on the remote Atlantic island of St Helena, but also a meditation on the inter-relations of past and present and the shadow a figure as gigantic as Napoleon casts into futurity. On one level the book is a travelogue, as Kauffmann revisits modern St Helena and describes what he finds; the small-scale lives of the islanders are related with tenderness as well as humour. But we also learn a great deal about Napoleon as Kauffmann passes through the places associated with him, and attempts to get inside the head of the deposed emperor.
There is a danger of pretentiousness, and there are moments where the Gallic gush is a little much; but overall the sheer force of Kauffmann's imagination fuses the whole into a powerful and affecting unity. In particular, his lyrical, poetic style has been well translated and there are many striking moments. The beaches of St Helena, for instance, are described as "black shingle, shiny as nuts of coal". Even the sunrise in this part of the world has a prison- like feel to it: "only one ray from the rising sun manages to pierce the clouds, falling on a corner of the coast as through a basement window." Thought-provoking and often exquisite, this is a unique sort of history. --Adam Roberts
After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled to the island of St Helena, where he was to spend the last six years of his life at Longwood. Jean-Paul Kauffmann visits the termite-infested house and sits in the Emperor's room. The house slowly becomes alive with the great man's presence.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 4.80
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002534640
Quantity: 3 available
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00068269775
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 1860467741-R
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The Dark Room at Longwood: A Voyage to St.Helena (Panther) This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9781860467745
Quantity: 3 available
Seller: Reuseabook, Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Seller Inventory # CHL1335008
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Reuseabook, Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Used; Very Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine. Seller Inventory # CHL1543374
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 0.46. Seller Inventory # 1860467741-2-3
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Buy with confidence! Book is in good condition with minor wear to the pages, binding, and minor marks within 0.46. Seller Inventory # bk1860467741xvz189zvxgdd
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9781860467745
Quantity: 3 available
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. New Ed. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 14947084-6
Quantity: 1 available