Memoirs from Beyond the Grave

I was expecting to find this book interesting as a historical source, but was surprised to love it as literature. Even in translation two centuries later, Chateaubriand has a felicity with language that oozes through the page — belying his early disclaimer that he is not one for wit. These memoirs are full of well-turned phrases and surprisingly self-aware observations from Chateaubriand's full life, which included a childhood growing up in a castle with a distant father, an irresolute young adulthood that included a sojourn exploring America (a sort of 18th Century "gap year"), fame as a best-selling author and a denouement as a statesman and diplomat. Even the less exciting bits, such as Chateaubriand's childhood, are highly show more readable, while his character study of Napoleon is incisive (if not wholly reliable).

My only complaints have to do with the apparent abridgment of this Penguin translation (not advertised at all on the physical copy). There are obvious gaps in the narrative — his pilgrimage to the Holy Land is constantly referenced but never actually described; the treatment of his diplomatic service under the Restoration is frustratingly vague; even his coverage of Napoleon, the meaty center of the book, covers only three major incidents from Bonaparte's reign in depth. I'm sure the original version would seem interminably long today, so some abridgment was surely necessary, but it's best to go in with an understanding of the Penguin edition as a snapshot of a larger work. It's a testament to Chateaubriand's sparkling prose that I wanted more. show less

Whoops, turns out I don’t know French. But someday I might. I’m keeping this little book around for that day.

Typisch groot ego, op zoek naar rechtvaardiging; sterk romantische trekjes, maar toch niet overdreven.
Type: liberaal tot en met in zijn principes (vrijheid centraal), maar politiek duidelijk conservatief (optie voor monarchie); vandaar isolement
Mooiste pagina’s over Napoleon! Minst verteerbaar over eigen optreden.

The most enjoyable, glamorous and gripping of all 19th-century autobiographies - a tumultuous account of France hit by wave after wave of revolutions Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb is the greatest and most influential of all French autobiographies - an extraordinary, highly entertaining account of a uniquely adventurous and frenzied life. Chateaubriand gives a superb narrative of the major events of his life - which spanned the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Era and the uneasy period that led up to the Revolution of 1830.

JG-3

Il più affascinante e divertente libro di memorie sul periodo storico a cavallo della Rivoluzione Francesecritto da uno dei suoi protagonisti