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UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2009, ALL PROCEEDS FROM MY LISTINGS WILL GO TO KIVA. PLEASE VISIT MY KIVA PAGE: http://www.kiva.org/lender/marco4704
ISBN 1568581289
Size = 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
A bestseller in France and winner of that country's Prix Femina, this stark meditation on Napoleon's confinement on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena is haunted by the fact that Kauffmann, too, has been a prisoner. In 1985, while he was working as a reporter for a French weekly, he was captured by Shiite Muslims in Beirut and imprisoned for three years. He never mentions it in the book, but this experience colors the entire text. Lured by the idea "that the upheaval caused by a disaster or a tragedy leaves a mark, or at the very least a ripple in the air" at its site, Kauffmann traveled to Napoleon's final home, Longwood, to reimagine the emperor's last five and a half years, which were spent in a draughty, damp house.
With "300 meter-high cliffs that fall sheer into the ocean" and no port, St. Helena is so inescapable that, once he arrived, Napoleon was never actually imprisoned. Yet he spent much of his time in his bedroom, which measured only 17 square meters. In a series of 8 diary-like sections, Kauffmann discusses Napoleon's career and the corrosive effects the boredom of captivity had on his health. Kauffmann has an eye for telling detail: he notices that St. Helena has been rubbed off of the globe in Longwood's sitting room.
The author admits to mixed feelings about Bonaparte, the idol of the uneducated and the man who singlehandedly led France to global supremacy. The book captures some striking physical details, like the billiard balls that Bonaparte once nervously handled (but never played) and the maps he occasionally rolled out on the billiard table to retrace the movements of his Grande Arme.
297 pages with photos. Hard cover with UNCLIPPED dust jacket. Ex-Library, cleaner than usual.
Weight = 800 g
BOOK / DUST JACKET CONDITION = VERY GOOD / VERY GOOD
NEW: This book has been designated by the seller as brand new.
FINE: No defects, little usage. Older books may show minor flaws.
VERY GOOD: Shows some signs of wear and is no longer fresh. Attractive.
GOOD: Average used book with all pages present. Possible loose bindings, highlighting, cocked spine or torn dust jackets.
FAIR: Obviously well-worn, but no text pages missing. May be without endpapers or title page. Markings do not interfere with readability.
POOR: All text is legible but may be soiled and have binding defects. Reading copies and binding copies fall into this category.
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