The Lonely Empress: Elizabeth of Austria

This biography is now over forty years old, but Haslip's writing, and the common sense approach which she takes towards her subject means that it is still as readable now as it was when it was first printed. Haslip is extremely good at taking an insightful and sympathetic, yet objective and critical, approach towards her subject, Elizabeth of Austria, the woman better known to history as Princess Sisi. Elizabeth was a complicated mixture of charm and frigidity, intelligence and neurosis, self-conscious beauty and shyness, and I think Haslip does a very good job at capturing those. I would agree with her assessment of Elizabeth's character to a large degree.

The book has its faults, though they are minor. I would have liked a greater deal show more of analysis of her legacy and of the immediate impact of her death; to end the book with her murder makes it seem curiously truncated, especially considering how great a mythos had grown up around Elizabeth even by the time Haslip was writing. It is also curious that she didn't use make more use of those who could remember Elizabeth and her family, and who were still alive at the time of her writing; I think the last of Elizabeth's children had died maybe only twenty to thirty years before; still, it's probable in that case that they had simply closed ranks.

The book could also have used a stronger technical editor; there was one instance where Elizabeth returned to Austria 'for Xmas', which I cannot see as being appropriate for a biographical work, and the number of comma splices was truly astronomical. Despite that, though, this is still probably one of the best books dealing with the life of the empress. show less

It felt awkward to me, as Ms Haslip is obviously not very fluent in German, and does not know Vienna. Using anglicised names of the Hasburgs also felt wrong to me.

While I do not go along with the Sisi cult that has grown up in the Austrian tourist industry, I also feel that Ms. Haslip is a bit unfair in her criticisms. Elizabeth was shown early in her marriage that she was only prized for her beauty. She was to stay out of politics. So she generally ignored politics, and only concentrated on staying beautiful. The statement that FJ might not have become such a burocrat if Elizabeth had been more understanding is ridiculous, as even in the first day of their marriage FJ spent most of his time at his desk. That part of his personality show more had been fixed before he met her.

I should try and get hold of a more recent biography of Elizabeth. show less

1767 The Lonely Empress: A Biography of Elizabeth of Austria, by Joan Haslip (read 5 Mar 1983) This is a 1965 book. I first recall reading Empress Elizabeth's story in the summer of 1945--the book was Golden Fleece, by Bertita Harding. I found the story unforgettable, and so I was surprised I would read this book about a person so familiar to me. But the Hapsburgs have always fascinated me, and some of the bizarre facets of Empress Elizabeth's life had faded from my memory. This book is not at all scholarly, and is footnoteless. Its bibliography is very poor. Sept 10, 1898, Geneva--she was stabbed, and did not at first think she was hurt. She got up, and went on board the steamer. Then she fainted, was eventually taken back to the show more hotel, where she died. She was not an asset to the Hapsburgs, but her story fascinates nonetheless. show less