Long out-of-print, this biography of Joseph Fouche, a major behind-the-scenes figure in the French Revolution, is a fascinating study of a rise from relatively humble beginnings to the absolute pinnacle of power, back down again, and then up, and then again down. Fouche’s roll-coaster ride of fortune is a remarkable story. ( )

4296 Joseph Fouche The Portrait of a Politician, by Stefan Zweig translated from the German by Eden and Cedar Paul (read 6 Apr 2007) This is the fifth book by Zweig I've read. He interests me, having had a dramatic life ending in 1942 when he and his wife committed suicide because the world stage seemed so awful. Fouche was a cleric (though never ordained) for ten years, then became a bloodthirsty revolutionary, then was Napoleon's police chief for a time, then a supporter of King Louis XVIII (even though he voted to cut off his brother's head). Zweig portrays him as evil, always looking out for himself. History is consistently interesting and Zweig is a forceful writer, even though the biography is not in the form I like, since it has no footnotes nor any bibliography. ( )