ok ok i will admit it, i am fascinated/intrigued, and occasionally pissed off by this woman, her life and her times.
Sissi (or Sisi), Empress Elizabeth of Austria has long been a subject of endless fascination - mostly perhaps in Europe, given the 50´s movie trilogy with the talented Romy Schneider in the lead role.
i watched those movies at a very young age, and now looking back i think that is where my fascination with her and that particular time in European History originated - i admit it, it was also the dresses and the palaces and the jewels that got my attention ;) ...i suppose you can call it my definition of brain candy...to quote an expression of Lizzy´s.
In between my childhood, early teens and such, life and more books/movies got in the way, so frankly other than the occasional article i stumbled upon online, i never even considered researching her, just never got that curious i suppose.
That all changed one day, already studying at university, when visiting a bookstore (my idea of a shopping spree!) i ran into a book in spanish inspired by her...and the rest is history like they say.
I currently own just about every single non fiction book - in multiple languages- that was ever published about her, and am always looking for more.
Jean des Cars presents here one of the finest bios there are presently available about Elizabeth, her life and her times. JDC is perhaps better known to the french/european audiences, but any other genuine Sissi fan out there should most definitely get their hands on his books about the Hapsburg's, Elizabeth, European History and King Ludwig (yes the one who built the Bavarian Castles and was btw Sissi´s cousin).
Without ever loosing his respect for the times and, to a certain extent, the people he is writing about, JDC succeeds every single time in presenting a real, engaging and very compelling historical testimony to events in some cases quite recent (check out his book on Zita, the last Hapsburg Empress).
He presents the facts, gives an opinion or two of his own, but never tries to "sell" his ideas to the reader - he simply lets you make up your own mind, even at times throwing at you or two pieces of unknown info that gets you thinking and questioning previously held ideas that you took for unchangeable.
i totally admit, with pride, to being a major history geek/nerd/aficionado, and yes i have on occasion felt like insulting a "historian" or two for being so clearly partial when writing a book on any historical king, queen, general or president. For me the true historian is the one who, a bit like the watchers in the old highlander show, merely records and transmits what he "saw" without planting what many times are wrong and biased ideas in the readers mind - ideas that of course originate from his own personal opinion of his subject.
JDC is perhaps one of the most successful out there in this regard, maybe it helps that he is also a journalist so he knows how to make a story appealing to its public?
Regardless of it, i will always recommend his books - preferably in french, if not make sure you find a good translation and just read away my fellow history geek :) - it is worth your time.
When it comes to multiple biographies on the same historical character, its sometimes quite difficult to decide on a favorite when they all - the most popular ones anyways - have such good quality and content.
In the end i believe it all comes down to a personal preference for one particular style of writting, to how one author will resonate more with you.
Jean des Cars, french author/journalist, has long published books on historical figures in europe - The Romanovs, Empress Eugenie, King Ludwig and The Hapsburgs are among his topics, and each one of these makes for fascinating read i assure you.
In 1983 he published " Elisabeth D' Autriche, ou la fatalite" (first edition of this book i review) and it remains to this day one of the finest biographies of the Empress - along with Brigitte Hamann and Count Corti, i personally think these 3 are the "holy trinity" for anyone interested in her.
Jean des Cars has, to me, a particularly engaging manner of writing that makes history genuinely come alive for the reader, making one forget the world around us while he describes these events of so long ago - its less judgmental perhaps that Brigitte Hamanns work, hence my personal preference? Or simply he's a finer teller of tales, given his personal and professional background (son of a popular french writer and an artist), its a gift thats probably in his DNA!
Anyways, here like i said he presents the empress and her times, her life, her relationships with those around in a particularly vivid manner, especially her family ties and her devotion to her siblings - regardless of how these behaved towards her on some occasions....
An interesting addition to this book (its had several editions, a testament to its popularity) is also the theories about the tragedy at Mayerling and the "real causes" of the Crown Prince's death - truth or not these make for compelling reading and were apparently ideas that were discussed in the family and were known by Sisi's successor as The (last) Empress of Austria - Zita of Bourbon Parma.
I'm not sure if any of his books are published in english, if someone knows please share that information? But if you happen to be fluent enough in french to feel comfortable reading history - by all means get yourself a copy and i guarantee its more than worth the effort!
Side note - he also has published a lovely travel book which is a must for any die hard fan of Sisi - Sur Les Pas de Sissi - with many many pictures he shares his own european journey to her palaces, her cities and her home of Possenhofen (its from 1989 but so worth it!).
Have fun, Happy Readings!