Based on an interview with book blogger Deborah Kalb How did you first learn about Napoleon’s effort to write a novel, and at what point did you decide to write Finding Napoleon? Years ago, I came across a mention that young Napoleon Bonaparte had tried to write a romantic novel of love, war, and betrayal. When I …
FINDING NAPOLEON: 200 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH Napoleon died on St. Helena Island on May 5, 1821, two hundred years ago today. Ceremonies were held in Paris and on St. Helena. His legacy—both revered and reviled—is as divisive as it ever was. Roger Cohen’s article in today’s New York Times does a better job than I …
I’m thrilled to welcome FINDING NAPOLEON: A Novel into the world. Click here to learn more about it.
Beyond the Ghetto Gates by Michelle Cameron In the first of a series on fiction that sheds light on Napoleon Bonaparte, I’m featuring Beyond the Ghetto Gates. This historical novel takes place in 1796, as twenty-seven-year-old Bonaparte, general in chief of the “Army of France in Italy,” sweeps through the northern Italian kingdoms, conquering all …
Here we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and too many of our leaders twist suffering and science into propaganda. Look back 220 years. You’ll find the same thing. For example, this painting of “Napoleon Bonaparte Visiting the Plague-Stricken in Jaffa,” by Antoine-Jean Gros (1771 – 1835), makes propaganda from a plague. In …
This past December, headlines screamed “First Christmas Without Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral in Two Hundred Years.” What happened two hundred years ago both to interrupt and to reinstate that structure’s sacred use? The French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte. Tragically, the photo above explains why there wasn’t a mass in 2019. On April 15, the …
France After Napoleon’s Death: Even after Napoleon Bonaparte died in 1821, he still threatened the kings of Europe. By declaring himself an emperor, Napoleon had undermined the hereditary “divine right of kings.” Worse, he installed liberal, secular constitutions throughout Europe. And everywhere, Napoleon spread the French Revolution’s concept of “merit over birthright.” So Louis XVIII …
Finding Napoleon’s “Ashes” in Paris 179 Years Ago Read More »
In September, I spent three days in Montreal immersing myself in Napoleon Bonaparte with the Napoleonic Historical Society. As usual, the society’s annual conference was informative and entertaining. This year, the speakers covered a broad range of topics from war to art to political marriage to dueling etiquette. They examined Napoleon’s influence beyond France and …
Napoleonic Conference, Montréal, September 13 – 15, 2019 What Is the Napoleonic Historical Society? The Napoleonic Historical Society’s mission is “to study, share and stimulate interest in the history of the Age of Napoleon.” Members are a diverse group of people. Some are battle reenactors who can argue over every maneuver that won or lost a conflict. …
