Napoleon: The Man

"What a novel my life has been!" Napoleon once said of himself. The story of this man, born into a poor family, has been written many times. By the age of 26, the callow young man had become an army general. His marriage to an older woman transformed him into a galvanizing military commander. At the mere age of 35, the pope crowned him as emperor of the French. Within a few years, he became the effective master of Europe, his power unparalleled in modern history. Yet, his downfall was no less dramatic.

In some versions, Napoleon is portrayed as a military genius, while in others, he is depicted as a war-obsessed tyrant. However, in this definitive biography, historian Adam Zamoyski cuts through the mythology and explains Napoleon against the background of the European Enlightenment and what he was himself seeking to achieve. This most famous of men is also the most hidden of men, and Zamoyski dives deeper than any previous biographer to find him.

Beautifully written, this biography brilliantly sets the man in his European context. Born into a poor family, the callow young Napoleon, by the age of 26, had risen to the rank of army general. His marriage to an older woman transformed him into a galvanizing military commander. When he was only 35 years old, the pope crowned him as emperor of the French, and within a few years, he became the effective master of Europe, his power unparalleled in modern history. Yet, his downfall was no less dramatic.

The story of Napoleon has been written many times, with some versions portraying him as a military genius and others depicting him as a war-obsessed tyrant. However, in this definitive biography, historian Adam Zamoyski cuts through the mythology and explains Napoleon against the background of the European Enlightenment and what he was himself seeking to achieve. This most famous of men is also the most hidden of men, and Zamoyski dives deeper than any previous biographer to find him.

Beautifully written, this biography brilliantly sets the man in his European context, revealing the true man behind the legend.

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