Margaret Rodenberg, Author and Napoleon Blogger
Twenty years ago, I learned about Clisson, the novel Napoleon Bonaparte tried to write. I vowed to finish it for him. Like most voracious readers, I’d always wanted to be an author. In Clisson, I’d found the perfect project—a combination of my lifelong interests in history, travel, France, and the French language. Plus, I’d have a purpose to write a blog. Best of all, it rekindled my neglected fascination with Napoleon.
Inspiration
When I was twelve, my father was a US Navy officer stationed in Villefranche-sur-mer, then and now a lovely town on France’s Côte d’Azur. I remember standing on the waterfront in nearby Frejus. There, I heard how Napoleon Bonaparte landed on the beach, escaping his exile on the isle of Elba to reconquer France with 800 soldiers and four cannons. Later on, my family visited Paris. Above all, Napoleon’s sarcophagus under the grand dome of Les Invalides made a huge impression on me. Yet, when my family moved back to the United States, the Emperor was largely forgotten.
Business Career
Like most of us, I got sidetracked in unpredictable ways. Georgetown University studies in French and Russian somehow gave way to an early career in retail management. A sales job with Xerox provided extensive computer training. Next, a product management position with a tech start-up led to becoming Vice President of Marketing at a public company, and, later, a partner in a software distribution firm. Along the way, I also owned a car repair and gas station, a truck rental dealership, and a towing business—experiences that taught me a lot about life.
All that culminated in a wonderful second marriage and the freedom to follow dreams that had nothing to do with 70-hour work weeks, sales numbers, or financial statements. And so, I returned to Napoleon and the writing I’d always planned to do.
Learning to Write Fiction
Like most avid readers, I believed I could write fiction. Well, that turns out to be much harder than any novice imagines. I enrolled in courses, attended writing seminars, and wrote short stories. I joined a writers’ group (to whom I will always be grateful). My writing won awards, including a coveted Pushcart Prize nomination. Periodically, life interrupted with business opportunities, a year caring for my dying father, and other distractions. Yet, even when I put the writing aside, I never stopped dreaming about my Napoleon story.
Finally, I wrote my first novel—but not about Napoleon. In the Vancouver airport, on the way home from kayaking and bear-watching in British Columbia, a set of characters bolted into my head. I had to write their story. In 2010, that novel won the San Francisco Writers Conference Best Fiction award, among other awards. I still hope to publish it one day.
Back to Napoleon
Meanwhile, I got to know Napoleon. And what a project that became. It’s easy to find information about what Napoleon did. The difficulty is sifting through it all to discover who he was. By now, I’ve read countless books and documents, including original source material in French. I also serve on the board of the Napoleonic Historical Society, a non-profit organization that promotes interest in all things Napoleonic.
To dig deeper, I traveled over 30,000 miles: to Corsica where he was born, to France where he spent much of his life, and to conferences and exhibits. On a trip to Santa Barbara, California, I held four original pages of Napoleon’s Clisson in my hands. On my greatest adventure, my husband and I traveled to St Helena Island in the remote South Atlantic where Napoleon died in exile. At that time, the island didn’t have an airport. We flew to South Africa where we boarded the British mail ship RMS St Helena for the five-day voyage to St Helena. After nine fascinating days on the island, we took the five-day voyage back to Cape Town. It was an inspiring pilgrimage that few people have the privilege to make.
Over the years, my novel grew beyond the initial plan to finish Napoleon’s manuscript. Now, in FINDING NAPOLEON, the aging Emperor finishes his own manuscript while struggling to escape exile and recover his young son. Napoleon’s last love, the audacious and little-known Albine de Montholon, tells her story, too.
I know I have “found my Napoleon.” I hope my readers will, too.
My Life Beyond Napoleon
Of course, I’m more than just “Margaret Rodenberg, author and Napoleon blogger.” My husband and I (blissfully married thirty-plus years) have visited over sixty countries, often to bike, hike, scuba, or kayak. We read together, study French and history, go to museums, and see about thirty plays a year. Our marriage brought me six stepchildren who—with their charming spouses—yielded a lovely crop of nine grandchildren. They and our joint nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, and cousins make for a joyful family. Add to that the blessings of a truly neighborly neighborhood, my writing buddies, old pals, and new Napoleonic friends. Certainly, I have nothing to complain about.
Here’s a smattering of my other adventures:
- Completed five “Century” bicycle rides (one hundred miles in one day).
- Water sports: kayaked with orcas; cage-dived with Great White Sharks; snorkeled with whale sharks; scuba-dived in Mexican caves (scary); whitewater rafted in Iceland, British Columbia, and Costa Rica; fished for piranha in the Amazon.
- Land adventures: trekked in Nepal; biked in Morocco and Asia; galloped with Argentine gauchos; dogsledded and glacier-trekked in Iceland; went on safaris in Africa; and observed grizzlies up close in Canada.
Here’s a link to a photo gallery that highlights some of my travels.
What’s Next?
Earning the right to sign-off as “Margaret Rodenberg, author and Napoleon blogger” has been a satisfying journey—and one that’s just beginning. Now, my novel, FINDING NAPOLEON, is on its way to publication in April 2021. Meanwhile, I’m at work on another historical novel that takes place in Revolutionary France when Napoleon was a young man (although he’s not the main character). If you’ve come this far with me, I hope you’ll join me for that adventure, too.
As someone who has known Margaret through a large part of her above-mentioned journey through life, I believe that Finding Napolean will turn out to be the best-yet expression of the wide-ranging talents of this extraordinary woman. An exceptional intellect, focus on details, dedication coupled with discipline, an innate capability for organization of information, and a real talent for writing (honed by many years of hard work and learning) will provide the foundation for a great book. Overlay Margaret’s passion for Napolean and all things French, and we can all expect something magnificent.
Margaret, we all eagerly await what I expect to be the culmination of your life’s work (so far!)
Thanks for your generous comments–I only hope I can live up to your expectations!
Your life story is so interesting and we have so much in common! I will be following your adventures in search of Napoleon and have no doubt you will find him and produce a fascinating book. I have been mesmerized by Napoleon and the Napoleonic epic ever since I read Emil Ludwig’s masterful biography when I was ten or eleven. Decades later I am still learning! I’d be delighted if we could share our mutual passion, resources, and insights on this most amazing man.
Thanks, Alix. I look forward to enjoying many future Napoleonic adventures together.
Congratulations on the start of another successful career. Can’t wait to read more of your blog posts on Napoleon. Enjoy your travels and your research. I am glad I stumbled on your site.
Give my best to Bert!
cheers
Keith
Thanks, Keith! Hope you are doing well. Bert and I leave next week for our trip to St Helena via South Africa so I expect to have some interesting posts and photos to put up on the site.
The voyage details to St. Helena were absolutely captivating. I really enjoyed the details as to why other fellow passengers were headed there. Would love to hear even more detail on that (perhaps even some mini stories about them) and island residents you meet along the way. I am completely enthralled by your adventure…looking forward to reading even more.
Yes, each passenger had an interesting story as to why they are off on this grand adventure. Also, because of its location in the sea “roads” between Asia, Africa and Europe, this island has a lot history beyond Napoleon. If I have time, I’ll write a blog or two about the specifics.
Is there an email I can contact you at?
You can contact me at m.a.rodenberg@gmail.com.
I’ve just read the Josephine Trilogy. Do you really believe that Josephine was unfaithful all through the marriage? I’ve become very fascinated with Napoleon and Josephine – and all the contrasting information around. Very frustrating!
I think she was so overwhelmed with his wildly romantic and serious letters and actions in such a short period of time, she didn’t know what to make of it all.
Anyway, I like to lean towards the side of the “benefit of the doubt.” Besides, he was certainly not always faithful.
Hi, Deana,
I think you have to take into account Josephine’s life before she married Napoleon. First, she was treated badly in her first unhappy marriage. Then she succumbed to the loose morality of the moment when imprisoned during the Revolution. While she came to be devoted to Napoleon, she married him on the advice of her former lover, General Barras, and at a point when her age and financial condition limited her choices. There’s almost no question she was unfaithful in the early days of their marriage while Napoleon was in Italy and Egypt. On the other hand, she became his best friend, the inspired creator of Empire style, and his most loyal supporter. It’s best to avoid imposing today’s morality on historical figures, especially one with a such vibrant, passionate character.
All the best,
Margaret
I’d like to share my research with you if you would be so kind as to read it.
I think you will find it interesting and worth going over.
Thank you for posting this blog, it’s been a wonderful read and I can tell your heart is in the research as mine has been with the Talisman.
To sent you the .pdf file you can email me at: classicgolf@hotmail.com and just request the document called Napoleon’s Talisman.
The best to you always,
Randy
I appreciate your comments on early efforts at writing. I’m just beginning my own, a historical fictional account of the 1812 Campaign. I’ve been reading and researching for 3 years now – that was the easy part. Putting pen to paper and making history come alive is not! Any tips?
Find a writing group who will read and comment on your efforts, take seminars or read books about the craft, and start by writing a few short stories because they are easier to structure and the time commitment is shorter. But in the end, you just have to take the leap and write. Good luck to you!
Greetings from a Dutch speaking Belgian, living not very far from Waterloo, the site of Napoleon’s lost, and final, battle.
I discovered your blog while reading “Napoléon mon aïeul, cet inconnu” (Napoleon my unknown forefather, published in 2009) by Charles, Prince Napoléon, direct descendant of Napoleon’s brother Jerome. As the author states in his work, the difference between him and other historians is that he writes about his own family.
My interest in Napoleon was further awakened, not to mention your exciting blog, by a recently (in 2012) published work from a Belgian author: Johan Op de Beeck “Napoleons nachtmerrie” (Napoleon’s Nightmare). This (bottom up) historical account is a narrative of Napoleon’s campaign in Russia and its horrors, based upon the written memories of three Belgian soldiers who where drafted into the French Grande Armee and lucky enough to survive its misery and being able to leave a first hand account of what happened to them and the many others who were not as lucky to make it to their homeland ever again.
I will definitely buy your book when it is published.
Greetings to you! Those books sound fascinating. Believe it or not, although I have been to remote St Helena, I haven’t been to Waterloo. Perhaps in 2013, when I expect to return to Europe. I’m glad you have become interested in Napoleon. Isn’t it amazing how much new material is written about him every year?
All the best,
Margaret
Happy New Year and I hope to be able to read your book in 2013.
It was a real pleasure to meet you at HNS Denver 2015, Margaret – and hope to see you next year in Oxford. I thought the dialogue reading of your book was superb (and knocked the others out of the park). I can’t wait to read the book. Best wishes
Clare
Hello, Clare. It was a pleasure to meet you, too, and I hope we’ll see each other again next year in the UK. It was an unbelievable thrill to have my words (well, the words I gave Napoleon and Hudson Lowe!) brought to life by two actors. I couldn’t stop grinning all day! Thanks for the compliment on the writing. I love writing dialogue. Good luck to you, too! Margaret
Dear Ms. Rodenberg –
In our attic, we have come across several portfolios from L’ Exposition Universelle in Paris, 1889. These portfolios contain reproductions of various works of art, some of which are simple photographs, and others are oversize reproductions made from plates which appeared to be hand painted. Most of are of common themes and others depict significant historical events such as J. L. Davids’s painting of “the Coronation of Josephine”.
It appears as though they were acquired by my grandfather or great grandfather.
We were wondering if you might have any further information about these items.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Lewis Page
100 Linden Lane Farm
Keswick, VA 22947
434-293-3893
Dear Ms Page,
Those sound very interesting. I wish I could see them myself (and that I had an attic stuffed with similar artifacts. Unfortunately, I’m not an expert at evaluating art or photos so I can’t really help you. Good luck!
All the best,
Margaret
Dear Margaret,
I have been very impressed by your passion for our Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. I am originally from the South of France, living in British Columbia, Canada as Canadian Citizen for more than 25 years now and I am a great admirer of the Emperor too. Your own fascination for Him has led you to a very deep research and you know that part of the French History more than most French Citizens. Bravo!
I would be very pleased to read your writings about Napoleon.
Your connection with Him seems to be very strong in your heart, especially for an American Citizen. That’s amazing!
I still think about Him during His last three years at Ste Helena, we are only in 2018. Two hundred years ago, He was still among us. God bless Him!.
May all good things be granted to you and your family.
In the Heart of the Emperor, Sincerely. Christophe
Thank you for your kind words, Christophe. We have a lot in common. When I was a young teen, I lived in Villefranche-sur-mer for two years. That started my interest in Napoleon. But, also, I’m very fond of British Columbia. I had an elderly cousin in Victoria who my husband and I used to visit. Then we’d kayak and camp in the Johnstone Strait or view the grizzlies in Knight Inlet.Terrific memories! Take care.
The link between Cuban sugar magnate Lobo and Napoleon might perhaps also have something to do with Napoleon’s special place in Jewish history. In this last regard, see some recent discoveries in my new study on “Jews, Napoleon and the Ottoman Empire: the 1797-9 Proclamations to the Jews”
https://www.allenzhertz.com/2018/05/napoleon-bonaparte-in-mideast-1799.html
Allen,
Thank you for your comment and link to the article. I found it very interesting, thoroughly researched,and carefully considered. If it’s okay with you, I quote it in a post and link to the full article.
Margaret
Dear Mrs. Rodenberg,
I had a lot of fun going through your blog about Napoleon and am impressed by your adoration of the man. Like you, I have great admiration for this great historical figure. I have read a lot about the man and the way the world was forged around him and it would be interesting to try to imagine what the world would be like today if Napoleon had never existed. As he said, his life is a novel and you never get tired of reading and rereading his life.
You think you’ve captured the essence of Napoleon, and sincerely, I hope so. But in all honesty, I think that one life is not enough because he is a timeless character, who escapes us forever. We can at most touch and feel the thrill of his glory.
I will happily acquire your book when it comes out in 2021, and I am sure it will be a perfect complement to my collection on the subject. The plot seems exciting. I have always wondered why Napoleon ended his days in St-Helena, how the French at the time could have abandoned him like that. And I’m sure he felt that betrayal deep down inside. Being French myself, I am saddened by the way his life ended, it deserved better, even if that end was necessary for him to become what he is today.
Best regards.
Christophe.
Ps: Do you know if there will be a French translation of your book?
Hello, Christophe,
Thank you for your beautiful note. I agree with you about the difficulty of any one person capturing the essence of Napoleon. He was an extraordinary man who lived an unbelievably complex life. That’s what makes him endlessly fascinating! Every story, every event, every relationship is nuanced so the more you learn about him the more you see the depths and interconnections. He was far from perfect, and he was a powerful, pivotal figure in a time with different morals and norms than ours. I hope I present him in a balanced way that does him justice.
At the moment, there’s not a plan to translate my novel, but I’d love to see it happen.
All the best to you,
Margaret
I know you as a tremendous writer, Margaret. I also knew of your childhood as a Navy brat, your loving family, and your worldly travels. But I did not know your work history. I had no idea you were such an entrepreneur! I am extremely envious of your courage, as well. Swimming with sharks, cave diving. Just the thought makes me want to hide under the covers.
You’ve always been an impressive writer. Now I see that you are impressive no matter what you attempt.
Thanks for visiting the site, Rex. I appreciate your kind words. Really, I’m just lucky to have had so many opportunities for adventure. I’ve witnessed your determination and courage, too, as you dedicate yourself to your writing. We’re in a mutual admiration society!
Margaret