Why Napoleon? Read on to discover how this unlikely man—who’s both revered and reviled—defined an era. But you won’t learn much about battles here. I’m interested in Napoleon himself, in the people around him, and in the culture of his era. St. Helena Island in the remote South Atlantic, where Napoleon spent the last five years of his life in exile (and which I visited in 2011), is a particular fascination of mine.
My novel, FINDING NAPOLEON—with its adaptation of Napoleon Bonaparte’s real attempt to write a novel—offers a fresh take on Europe’s most powerful man after he’s lost everything. A forgotten woman of history, the audacious Albine de Montholon, narrates their tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal.
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“My birth and my death—that’s the whole of my story,” said Napoleon’s only legitimate child, shortly before dying of tuberculosis on July 22, 1832. He was just twenty-one years old.
Anniversary of the death of Napoleon’s son, the King of Rome Read More »
I’ve been doing research into Napoleon’s older brother, Joseph Bonaparte―the ex-king of Naples and Spain―and his twenty-year stay in the United States. Along the way, I learned to my surprise that Jacques-Louis David’s grand painting of Napoleon’s coronation (see my recent blog) had visited the United States in 1826. That set me off investigating. I
On July 4, 1803, two hundred and ten years ago today, Thomas Jefferson’s administration announced the United States had the opportunity to double its territory. A few months earlier, President Jefferson had sent James Monroe to France to purchase New Orleans or at least negotiate trade access to its port. Much to everyone’s surprise, Napoleon
Napoleon and Louisiana Purchase Read More »
This past weekend I attended the Historical Novel Society’s annual convention (more on that later) in St Petersburg, Florida. For a city of 250,000 residents, St Petersburg has a surprising trove of art museums, including the Salvador Dali Museum shown in the photo above. Of course I was on the lookout for Napoleon. Sure
Finding Napoleon in St Petersburg, Florida Read More »
When I’m at the Louvre Museum, I seek out Jacques-Louis David’s imposing—if not exactly beautiful—painting of Napoleon and Josephine’s coronation. At thirty-two feet long by twenty feet tall, it’s slightly smaller than Veronese’s The Wedding at Cana, the Louvre’s largest painting. The French refer to it as Le Sacre, but its official name is The
Napoleon’s Coronation Painting Read More »
This morning, Memorial Day, my husband and I visited my parents’ grave in Arlington National Cemetery. This weekend the military places a small American flag at each of the 250,000 grave stones there. The President, of course, brings a wreath for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. It’s a privilege to be buried in one
Memorial Day at My Parents’ Grave Read More »
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve signed with a terrific and talented literary agent, Russell Galen of Scovil Galen Ghosh, to represent my Napoleon novel. Russ, who bills himself as the only person he “knows of who grew up wanting to be a literary agent,” represents an amazing group of authors, including many New York
A Great Literary Agent for Finding Napoleon Read More »
On May 5, 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte died in this room in exile on St Helena Island. Two years ago, on May 5, 2011, I was in Cape Town, South Africa, on my way to St Helena to do research for my novel. To commemorate the anniversary of the Emperor’s death, my husband and I visited
Anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s Death Read More »
Portrait of Napoleon’s close friend Jean Lannes at the University of Texas’s Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas. Click here.
LOOKING FOR NAPOLEON IN AUSTIN, TEXAS Read More »
Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte’s Anniversary On March 9, 1796, twenty-six-year-old Napoleon Bonaparte married the thirty-two-year-old widow, Josephine de Beauharnais. The groom, enraptured with his more nonchalant bride, is known to have written passionate love letters, including one containing the line, “I shall see you soon—do not wash.” Nevertheless, while poring over military maps on his
Happy Anniversary to Napoleon Bonaparte Read More »
