Napoleon

by Emil Ludwig

Book Overview

This classic book is Emil Ludwig's 1927 biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, "Napoleon". This fantastic biography continues to be arguably unparalleled in its treatment of the life and mind of Napoleon,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: B001Q9CQGU
• Release Date: January 1933
• Publisher: Modern Library
• Length: 703 Pages

Customer Reviews

A moving and masterful portrait of Bonaparte

Emil Ludwig's work remains classic despite its age. It is true that the book does not have the maps which would help the reader to locate the geographical dimension of Napoleon's carreer and actions, and the author does not include dates inside his text, but if someone wants a pure operational history of the French armies can look to the appropriate atlases like that of V. Esposito and J. Elting, or the magnificent "The Campaigns of Napoleon" by David Chandler. The main merit of Ludwig's book is its immediacy, the clarity of Napoleon's thoughts and decision making and of course the excellent writing which has an astonishing freshness no matter how many times one reads the book. By seting himself free from the grip of time and place Ludwig can build his story like a fairy tale, which I found truly remarkable and unusual. There are many studies regarding Napoleon as a man and a general, but this one is definitely one of the best.

Excellent Biography

This book is written as a novel. That is how Emil Ludwig writes all his books. The book is very informative and very entertaining which differs from most other monotonous and boring biographies found out there. Ludwig did an extensive research before writing this book, and this is his well know masterpiece; other books by Ludwig are Beethoven, Jesus, Bolivar all written in the same maner. You mostly don't find footnotes in novels, so the complain written by the reader above...

napoleon

NAPOLEON BY EMIL LUDWIGReviewed by Dhirender K Singh Emil Ludwig's biography of Napoleon continues its remarkable presence as a classic of Napoleonic literature and has yet to be surpassed for its unique presentation writing in the present tense. Ludwig brings to life his subjects character better than any other biography of Napoleon. Ludwig (1881_1948) was 45 and living in Germany when he published "Napoleon" in 1926, and the work was translated and published in the following year, before he turned 30,Ludwig, wrote 12 plays, half of which were produced, and one of them featuring napoleon. Following the publication of the Napoleon several other biographies by Ludwig were translated into English including Jesus , Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Beethoven. The biography is divided into five books one, "The Island"(birth to marriage); two "The Torrent"(army of Italy to first counsel); Three, "The River"(Marengo to birth of Napoleon 11); four, "The Sea" (Russia to Waterloo); and Five, "The Rock" (St Helena) Each book begins with a quote from "Goethe". Although Ludwig does not include a bibliography, the concluding four pages, the "Envoy", he states," .In this book, all the data are recorded facts, except the soliloquies." He had the "brilliant technique" and the ability to "analyze character so admirably. Infact he is the student of characterLudwig `s admiration for Napoleon is mainly intellectual, though morally he is prepared to go farther in his support than many critics. He has tried to write the inner history of Napoleon and has put minor attention to the battles and campaigns .His self confidence confers on him a natural dignity that amazes and angers the legitimist world, which believes dignity to be consonant only with heredity and culture .His energy is concentrated on human beings. Very rarely does he come into conflict with natural forces; and whenever he does so, he is beaten. The imaginative power is also the source of his knowledge of men and his guide to the management of men . And finally the affect underlying his energy and his imagination are dominated by the clarity of his thoughts. His work reads like a novel instead of like a history book. Ludwig has an extraordinary capacity for seeing and judging the "true inwardness "of people and events." Ludwig became a Swiss citizen in 1932 and at the time of his death in 1948 had several biographies in progress including Alexander, Karl William von Humboldt and King David .His Napoleon earned a solid place among Napoleonic biographies and continues to have an impact today. In this book Emil Ludwig tried to write the inner story of Napoleon. He is one of the most illuminating figure in modern history .he was a man of extraordinary qualities and at the same time suffered from extraordinary failings .His ambition was power, his dream, a vast empire, and his passion, wars and victories. People loved him and presented him with power, gave him their son

A unique perspective on a unique character

This work concentrates of the huge body of letters the subject wrote throughout his life. The central focus of the book is Napoleon's relations with his largely disloyal and useless family members, who owed their success, such as it was, only to his genius for leadership. The author has a humorous writing style which should receive a larger audience. Highly recommended. Writer was justifiably famous during his lifetime.