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Napolean
"As an explanation of the past in personal terms, this is probably the best life of Napoleon we have."--The Economist Vincent Cronin sets out to find a Napoleon he could picture as a living, breathing man. In this, probably the finest of all modern biographies of Napoleon, he superbly realizes his objective.
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First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
Vincent Cronin
57 books40 followersVincent Archibald Patrick Cronin FRSL (24 May 1924 – 25 January 2011) was a British historical, cultural, and biographical writer, best known for his biographies of Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, and Napoleon, as well as for his books on the Renaissance.
Cronin was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, to Scottish doctor and novelist, A. J. Cronin, and May Gibson, but moved to London at the age of two. He was educated at Ampleforth College, Harvard University, the Sorbonne, and Trinity College, Oxford, from which he graduated with honours in 1947, earning a degree in Literae Humaniores. During the Second World War, he served as a lieutenant in the British Army.
In 1949, he married Chantal de Rolland, and they had five children. The Cronins were long-time residents of London, Marbella, and Dragey, in Avranches, Normandy, where they lived at the Manoir de Brion.
Cronin was a recipient of the Richard Hillary Award, the W.H. Heinemann Award (1955), and the Rockefeller Foundation Award (1958). He also contributed to the Revue des Deux Mondes, was the first General Editor of the Companion Guides series, and was on the Council of the Royal Society of Literature.
He died at his home in Marbella on 25 January 2011.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent...
Cronin was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, to Scottish doctor and novelist, A. J. Cronin, and May Gibson, but moved to London at the age of two. He was educated at Ampleforth College, Harvard University, the Sorbonne, and Trinity College, Oxford, from which he graduated with honours in 1947, earning a degree in Literae Humaniores. During the Second World War, he served as a lieutenant in the British Army.
In 1949, he married Chantal de Rolland, and they had five children. The Cronins were long-time residents of London, Marbella, and Dragey, in Avranches, Normandy, where they lived at the Manoir de Brion.
Cronin was a recipient of the Richard Hillary Award, the W.H. Heinemann Award (1955), and the Rockefeller Foundation Award (1958). He also contributed to the Revue des Deux Mondes, was the first General Editor of the Companion Guides series, and was on the Council of the Royal Society of Literature.
He died at his home in Marbella on 25 January 2011.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
November 21, 2012
One cannot deny the enthusiasm and symphatetic approach with which Vincent Cronin, sources at hand, tells us about Napoleon Bonaparte.
Cronin's Napoleon is a human and idealist character, who dispenses painful pinches to his wife's and soldiers' cheecks, sucks throat pastilles on the plains of Austerlitz, sings sentimental tunes off key, and, as a classical hero, finds himself tragically unable to escape the boredom and fatal disease of his last exhile. One of the best biographies on the Empereur, not to be missed.
Cronin's Napoleon is a human and idealist character, who dispenses painful pinches to his wife's and soldiers' cheecks, sucks throat pastilles on the plains of Austerlitz, sings sentimental tunes off key, and, as a classical hero, finds himself tragically unable to escape the boredom and fatal disease of his last exhile. One of the best biographies on the Empereur, not to be missed.
September 11, 2019
The author as put much thought into this well written book, that is very detailed (maybe a bias detail in favour of Napoleon) into the persanal life of Napoleon, his military life, etc, and by the end of the story the author provides you with a greater understand for Napoleon. Napolean lived a very interesting life, and the author translates this onto written pages in a style that is engaging and never becomes boring A good front cover to the book, no editorial or presentation issues, a very good historical related book, glad I took the time to read it.
September 17, 2012
An excellent biography of Napoleon. Cronin portrays Napoleon as a republican idealist whose ascension to Emperor was solely for the preservation of moderate Republican values. He is very sympathetic to Napoleon pointing out that his wars were generally pre-emptive attacks on monarchies who sought to destory the ideals of the French Revolution. The focus is on his character rather than his accomplishments.
March 16, 2018
Antes de leer ésta biografía sabía muy poco de esta figura tan importante de la historia universal. Es un tomo de 696 páginas que realmente echa luz sobre la vida de Napoleón Bonaparte, vida que quedo totalmente distorsionada en el imaginario social merced a motivaciones políticas e ideológicas.. En 1789, año de la Revolución Francesa Napoleón contaba con 20 años y allí comienza su carrera militar y política. Desde entonces abraza los ideales de de Libertad, Igualdad y Fraternidad, los ideales de la Revolución, que marcaron sus pensamientos a lo largo de toda su vida. . Esta biografía está muy bien documentada y dedica un capítulo completo a citar las fuentes fidedignas y poniendo en evidencia aquellas que tuvieron por objeto distorsionar la historia por razones políticas e ideológicas, tal como ha pasado infinidad de veces también respecto de la historia contemporánea. Una lectura realmente muy interesante y enriquecedora. Muy recomendable.
July 1, 2019
Although very readable this is a highly biased, partisan book that makes Napoleon out to be a saint. I felt like I have to read between the lines to get the gist of the less savory things the man did. Also, the over-reliance on Napoleon's own writings and the memoirs of others, rather than more neutral evidence, lends this book to bias.
September 18, 2025
Це вже 5-а прочитана мною біографія Наполеона.
Наче і знаєш основні моменти його життя, але як же цікаво знову стежити за перипетіями, особливо коли автор має талант оповідача, з акцентом на психологію та характер, а не на суху хронологію. Симпатизує Наполеону, але визнає його помилки.
[1812, дорога на Москву] Он должен был оставлять за собой много подразделений для охраны коммуникаций, поэтому ряды его обозов, лошадей и разноязычных солдат редели в этом наступлении на пустое пространство. Деревни регулярно сжигались, нельзя было найти фуража, и несколько тысяч французских лошадей пали. Но Наполеон чувствовал себя уверенно. Однажды он отдыхал на лугу со своими офицерами и, как часто бывало в периоды затишья, стал философствовать: «У меня есть хорошая работа — управлять империей. Я мог бы сейчас сидеть в Париже и предаваться лени... А вместо этого я нахожусь здесь с вами, в походе, где меня, как и любого другого, может сразить пуля... Я пытаюсь подняться над собой. И каждый на своем посту обязан делать так же. Вот в чем заключается величие».
(Наполеон. В. Кронин, с. 392)
Наче і знаєш основні моменти його життя, але як же цікаво знову стежити за перипетіями, особливо коли автор має талант оповідача, з акцентом на психологію та характер, а не на суху хронологію. Симпатизує Наполеону, але визнає його помилки.
[1812, дорога на Москву] Он должен был оставлять за собой много подразделений для охраны коммуникаций, поэтому ряды его обозов, лошадей и разноязычных солдат редели в этом наступлении на пустое пространство. Деревни регулярно сжигались, нельзя было найти фуража, и несколько тысяч французских лошадей пали. Но Наполеон чувствовал себя уверенно. Однажды он отдыхал на лугу со своими офицерами и, как часто бывало в периоды затишья, стал философствовать: «У меня есть хорошая работа — управлять империей. Я мог бы сейчас сидеть в Париже и предаваться лени... А вместо этого я нахожусь здесь с вами, в походе, где меня, как и любого другого, может сразить пуля... Я пытаюсь подняться над собой. И каждый на своем посту обязан делать так же. Вот в чем заключается величие».
(Наполеон. В. Кронин, с. 392)
November 8, 2019
Thoroughly readable biography of such a significant figure. Vincent Cronin succeeds in writing a engaging biography of “a living, breathing man” rather than another book about Napoleon as just a military figure. We therefore get a very intimate and well researched look down to the minutiae of his interests, temperament, daily habits, rituals and bodily dimensions...in some detail.
Overall it conveys a favourable assessment of Napoleon’s life and deeds which is on the contrary to the accepted historical assessment outside of France. What cannot be denied is that he was a phenomenally skilled commander and his success was meteoric. He went from being an out-of-pocket outcast to First Consul of France at such a young age which is hard to process. It is worth remembering that he brought stability to France, exported republicanism, ensured religious freedom, codified laws, standardised currencies, spread the metric system (which from my perspective does nothing but deny me a full pint of beer in the shops) and reformed many institutions by promotion on the basis of merit rather than birth.
This favourable view expressed in the book does however mean Napoleon’s faults are downplayed or subverted. Both the author and Napoleon contort definitions to try and justify the role of emperor as head of a republic and that republican values can survive when a nation is controlled autocratically by a single person without election. Another view expressed is that France’s borders needed to be stretched in order to protect the revolution. Yes the rest of Europe schemed against Napoleon but Napoleon also schemed against the rest of Europe. To suggest napoleon invaded Egypt to keep the people of Paris safe in their beds in a defensive war is as absurd as the British invading Australia in order to keep the English channel secure! This was the age of empires and France wanted a slice of the action and that is the simple truth. It makes Napoleon no better or no worse than George III or Frederick the Great. After all, Napoleon was quick to forget his father’s efforts with Pasquale Paoli fighting for Corsican independence against France when young Napoleon became a big deal in Paris.
I really enjoyed the writing style and especially from a non-French perspective it is worth taking a fresh look at the human man rather than the mythic figure.
Overall it conveys a favourable assessment of Napoleon’s life and deeds which is on the contrary to the accepted historical assessment outside of France. What cannot be denied is that he was a phenomenally skilled commander and his success was meteoric. He went from being an out-of-pocket outcast to First Consul of France at such a young age which is hard to process. It is worth remembering that he brought stability to France, exported republicanism, ensured religious freedom, codified laws, standardised currencies, spread the metric system (which from my perspective does nothing but deny me a full pint of beer in the shops) and reformed many institutions by promotion on the basis of merit rather than birth.
This favourable view expressed in the book does however mean Napoleon’s faults are downplayed or subverted. Both the author and Napoleon contort definitions to try and justify the role of emperor as head of a republic and that republican values can survive when a nation is controlled autocratically by a single person without election. Another view expressed is that France’s borders needed to be stretched in order to protect the revolution. Yes the rest of Europe schemed against Napoleon but Napoleon also schemed against the rest of Europe. To suggest napoleon invaded Egypt to keep the people of Paris safe in their beds in a defensive war is as absurd as the British invading Australia in order to keep the English channel secure! This was the age of empires and France wanted a slice of the action and that is the simple truth. It makes Napoleon no better or no worse than George III or Frederick the Great. After all, Napoleon was quick to forget his father’s efforts with Pasquale Paoli fighting for Corsican independence against France when young Napoleon became a big deal in Paris.
I really enjoyed the writing style and especially from a non-French perspective it is worth taking a fresh look at the human man rather than the mythic figure.
May 9, 2014
History is the subject where the objectivity is more needed but really hard to find it.
Lots of writers have tell us about Napoleon, he was a cruel dictator, the one who condemned France and a lot of nonsense. We find in Vincent Cronin a different point of view, in the life of a man who understand the freedom of the republic in a concept that was not understand in his time, or was ignored by other rulers of Europe.
This biography is very easy to read, Vincent has the ability of tell us in a novel history of the life of Napoleon, including his entire life, his thoughts, his point of view, his romances, how he rule France, how he commanded his troops. Yes, we have a whole biography here, but in some points the smell of subjective make hard to breath and the great glimpse of Vincent turns to smoke. This is the problem of all the people who write, but specially the ones which write about history. Nevertheless I really enjoy reading this book, because it fills the empty that other pretended biographies cannot fill.
Lots of writers have tell us about Napoleon, he was a cruel dictator, the one who condemned France and a lot of nonsense. We find in Vincent Cronin a different point of view, in the life of a man who understand the freedom of the republic in a concept that was not understand in his time, or was ignored by other rulers of Europe.
This biography is very easy to read, Vincent has the ability of tell us in a novel history of the life of Napoleon, including his entire life, his thoughts, his point of view, his romances, how he rule France, how he commanded his troops. Yes, we have a whole biography here, but in some points the smell of subjective make hard to breath and the great glimpse of Vincent turns to smoke. This is the problem of all the people who write, but specially the ones which write about history. Nevertheless I really enjoy reading this book, because it fills the empty that other pretended biographies cannot fill.
November 29, 2014
I read this biography a number of years ago, and I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I went on a reading spree of other books on the Napoleonic Wars and the Napoleonic Age after finishing it. The biography is extremely well written and engaging as a story. The author goes into the personal life of Bonaparte in great detail to give you a feeling for the man, as well as chronicling a military and political life that is so astounding that it would be unbelievable if it were fiction. This is a wonderful book about a towering figure of the early 19th Century who changed the face of modern Europe. It is a highly readable and interesting story, but it does give a great amount of historical information. This is really more entertaining and exciting than any novel in my opinion, because it all really happened, and not that long ago. Highly recommended.
July 22, 2016
Fue el primer libro que lei sobre el Emperador y debo decir que es una obra maestra que explica la vida mas intima del emperador, esta muy bien documentado por lo que el autor no deja lugar a dudas sobre lo que explica y cuenta. Todo el libro se basa en la vida por lo tanto las batallas no son contadas en extremo detalle si se cuentan las mas importantes pero el libro no es eso y por algo se llama "La vida intima de Napoleon". El libro muestra la parte humana del deshumanizado por todos Napoleon que deja al descubierto que no era tan diferente a nosotros y eso logra Cronin al narrar la historia tan bien que no podes dejar de leerlo. Lo lei dos veces al libro y no me cansare jamas de leerlo y aunque asusta su magnitud recomiendo comprarlo en edicion de bolsillo ademas de su lectura.
August 5, 2012
I used to call this book 'Napoleon: the hagiography'. Yes, it's perhaps the most sympathetic ever account of his life. Cronin hardly admits Napoleon had any defects. However, it's a very enjoyable book and provides an unusual view on Bonaparte's life, more focused on the man.
July 10, 2022
Definitely in the top five best biographies I’ve ever read. It was exciting and except for two chapters in the middle, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Bonapart’s life is fascinating and tragic, practically made for great biographies.
Cronin did an excellent job at showing Napoleon as a human being - his strengths, his failings, his hopes, his friends, and his fears. I’ve got a lot of respect for the man now. Some other reviewer’s feel Cronin was too sympathetic to be objective. That’s dumb, when is history ever truly objective?
Anyway, Cronin masterfully argued Napoleon was instrumental in bringing peace to the chaos of the French Revolution, increasing liberty in Western Europe, championing the rights of man throughout the world, and, perhaps most important, giving millions of people meaning and purpose to their lives.
He made some mistakes (Napoleon, I mean). I think he could’ve helped his country more if he, like Washington, had chosen to give up his seat of power before his people voted him Emperor for life. I don’t fault him too much though. After reading this book, I’m convinced he acted out of a conviction that his appointment would be best for the country he loved and not because he was hungry for power. He trusted people too much who he thought were his friends and he, though innovative at the beginning of his career, didn’t continue to adapt. He has a short temper and perhaps had too much confidence in himself.
All this to say he was only human, so of course he had flaws. Still, I admire him. His holding to his convictions no matter what is admirable. His continuous striving for peace, his well treatment to people who disagreed with him - even those who attacked him personally - is inspiring. His ability to find value in his opponents’ or critics’ words and expertise reminded me of Lincoln. I’m very interested now in learning more about the man.
I’d highly recommend this book to fans of biographies.
Cronin did an excellent job at showing Napoleon as a human being - his strengths, his failings, his hopes, his friends, and his fears. I’ve got a lot of respect for the man now. Some other reviewer’s feel Cronin was too sympathetic to be objective. That’s dumb, when is history ever truly objective?
Anyway, Cronin masterfully argued Napoleon was instrumental in bringing peace to the chaos of the French Revolution, increasing liberty in Western Europe, championing the rights of man throughout the world, and, perhaps most important, giving millions of people meaning and purpose to their lives.
He made some mistakes (Napoleon, I mean). I think he could’ve helped his country more if he, like Washington, had chosen to give up his seat of power before his people voted him Emperor for life. I don’t fault him too much though. After reading this book, I’m convinced he acted out of a conviction that his appointment would be best for the country he loved and not because he was hungry for power. He trusted people too much who he thought were his friends and he, though innovative at the beginning of his career, didn’t continue to adapt. He has a short temper and perhaps had too much confidence in himself.
All this to say he was only human, so of course he had flaws. Still, I admire him. His holding to his convictions no matter what is admirable. His continuous striving for peace, his well treatment to people who disagreed with him - even those who attacked him personally - is inspiring. His ability to find value in his opponents’ or critics’ words and expertise reminded me of Lincoln. I’m very interested now in learning more about the man.
I’d highly recommend this book to fans of biographies.
August 3, 2019
A very readable biography about a brilliant man who rose from humble beginnings to become the leader of a nation. The author is very sympathetic to Napoleon, while portraying his not-so-good qualities as well. Napoleon was energetic, interested in everything, not afraid of hard work, practical, and loved France. One thing I’ll remember about him is that he could sleep well and peacefully at any time, even the night before a crucial battle. There were many things he did or tried to do for his country and its people, after the terrible upheaval of the Revolution. The forces against him, both within and without his own country, were tremendous. I think this fact, more than the ambition for which he is known, is what led to his inevitable downfall.
January 3, 2024
Como ele bem avisa no início, ele tenta ser um livro sem a visão passional sobre Napoleão, porém pode pecar por ter uma visão demasiadamente "chapa branca". E não digo que é uma tarefa fácil, como ele bem explica no Apendice A, havia uma todo um interesse dos Bourbons e ingleses em fazer uma farta propaganda contra, mas há episódios como a da Espanha que há uma breve referência e só. Ou mesmo o saldo da campanha da Espanha, que foi um desastre também em termos humanitários. Porém, mesmo assim, o livro é riquissímo em detalhes e vale como um contra ponto a muita coisa que se lê por aí. Mas por favor não o pegue como única referência.
November 13, 2022
A fitting tribute to a brilliant man.
December 27, 2024
Read this several years ago it was good 👍
September 12, 2023
Virkelig interessant
November 17, 2020
So, yes, this is very much a hagiography, but there are enough books about Napoleon that I think this is permissable. Probably it shouldn't be your first book about the Emperor, but it's still a very fine biography with much to recommend it. I only wish it had more of a discussion about and reflection on Napoleon's legacy at the end rather than simply stopping abruptly with his death.
March 24, 2020
This my first exposure to Napoleon, so I am not sure if his treatment of Napoleon was biased. However, it seemed to paint him in a very favorable light. I thought his life was incredibly interesting and he is certainly a fascinating figure.
I didn't find the writing very engaging. I felt more like I was trying to get through this book and didn't really enjoy the reading.
I didn't find the writing very engaging. I felt more like I was trying to get through this book and didn't really enjoy the reading.
August 13, 2019
'I wanted, as I say, to find a Napoleon I could picture as a living, breathing man.'
Cronin's Napoleon, on a principle basis, is controversial; I must admit, I loved it for it. The book is, to some, tainted by its focus on Napoleon's character, of which proves to almost be entirely in conflict with some of his atrocious actions during his career. Through this scope, Cronin portrays Napoleon as a charismatic, well loved, and multi faceted individual.
I cannot express how much I thoroughly enjoyed Cronin's take on Napoleon, only through saying how much I would recommend it.
However, the book can be a bit of a bore at times, going into deep detail about things one may not necessarily care about. And, moreover, I'm not sure whether this fluctuates between publishers, but I found it deeply aggravating during the countless French passages and phrases provided within Cronin's work, there laid no translation - as much as I like Napoleon, I do not know French!
Cronin's Napoleon, on a principle basis, is controversial; I must admit, I loved it for it. The book is, to some, tainted by its focus on Napoleon's character, of which proves to almost be entirely in conflict with some of his atrocious actions during his career. Through this scope, Cronin portrays Napoleon as a charismatic, well loved, and multi faceted individual.
I cannot express how much I thoroughly enjoyed Cronin's take on Napoleon, only through saying how much I would recommend it.
However, the book can be a bit of a bore at times, going into deep detail about things one may not necessarily care about. And, moreover, I'm not sure whether this fluctuates between publishers, but I found it deeply aggravating during the countless French passages and phrases provided within Cronin's work, there laid no translation - as much as I like Napoleon, I do not know French!
March 2, 2016
A brilliant take analyzing Napoleon and post-revolution France through the personal life and relationships of the Corsican emperor. Details regarding the Napoleonic wars are sparse; readers should accompany this with other readings to supplement their understanding of France in the 1800s and to gain a better understanding of Napoleon's military genius.
March 23, 2011
This was just a phenomenal book. Clean, easy to read, and just fabulous. It focuses more on Napoleon than his career. It briefly mentions the battles and what not but mostly on his life. I found it to be close to perfect.
September 21, 2023
Absolutely a fabulous book. Focuses more on his life and personal things rather than too much battle talk. Battles are mentioned and described good enough to get the point.
April 23, 2025
Cronin escreveu uma biografia de Napoleão sem o intuito de detalhar as batalhas do homem, mas sim de detalhar o homem por trás do mito. A história de Napoleão é, sem dúvidas, interessantíssima, e, por ser uma figura tão única, sua personalidade também era. O autor traz a história quase toda da vida de Napoleão, seus costumes, seus hábitos, sua filosofia de vida, o que gostava e o que não gostava até a sua morte - uma leitura bem íntima dessa grande personalidade histórica. Acredito que valha a pena para quem tem interesse na VIDA de Napoleão e não necessariamente nas guerras napoleônicas.
Napoleão atrai o apreço de muitos, por ser essa figura vigorosa e inteligentíssima, temos de dar a César o que é de César - Napoleão era brilhante. Entretanto, acredito que nesses casos de afeição pela figura de Napoleão, parte do legado dele é ofuscado pelo brilho que o imperador refletia. E o que é ofuscado é a quantidade de mortos e a destruição que Napoleão trazia consigo. Um exemplo disso é a sua invasão à Rússia. Napoleão marchou com aproximadamente 600 mil soldados, voltou com 10% desse número. Além da destruição que causou direta ou indiretamente, como o incêndio de Moscou.
Além disso, há uma narrativa um pouco controversa que o livro tenta sustentar de certo modo, isso porque o livro insiste em alguns momentos que Napoleão era (ou ao menos acreditava ser) a representação da Revolução Francesa. E como ele fez isso? Restaurando a nobreza e colocando seus aliados e parentes mais próximos nas posições de poder, além de claro, instituir que seu filho devia ser o novo rei da França. E essa ideia de que Napoleão era uma representação dos franceses, foi uma das justificativas para se dizer que Napoleão não era ambicioso, e sim que conduziu suas guerras pelo bem da França, não pela manutenção do seu Império. “A conclusão é que Napoleão não era, mais do que a maioria dos homens, ambicioso por si; mas ele era muito ambicioso pela França e ele representava ambições de trinta milhões de franceses”, é uma conclusão dada pelo autor que, na minha opinião, é muito difícil de se engolir, a meu ver, Napoleão lutou sim pelo poder em suas mãos, não pelo bem da França, não era um tirano, mas também estava muito distante de ser um herói.
“O povo comum reza por chuva, filhos saudáveis e um verão que nunca termina. Não importa para eles se os lordes poderosos jogam seu jogo de tronos, contanto que sejam deixados em paz. Eles nunca são.”
Napoleão atrai o apreço de muitos, por ser essa figura vigorosa e inteligentíssima, temos de dar a César o que é de César - Napoleão era brilhante. Entretanto, acredito que nesses casos de afeição pela figura de Napoleão, parte do legado dele é ofuscado pelo brilho que o imperador refletia. E o que é ofuscado é a quantidade de mortos e a destruição que Napoleão trazia consigo. Um exemplo disso é a sua invasão à Rússia. Napoleão marchou com aproximadamente 600 mil soldados, voltou com 10% desse número. Além da destruição que causou direta ou indiretamente, como o incêndio de Moscou.
Além disso, há uma narrativa um pouco controversa que o livro tenta sustentar de certo modo, isso porque o livro insiste em alguns momentos que Napoleão era (ou ao menos acreditava ser) a representação da Revolução Francesa. E como ele fez isso? Restaurando a nobreza e colocando seus aliados e parentes mais próximos nas posições de poder, além de claro, instituir que seu filho devia ser o novo rei da França. E essa ideia de que Napoleão era uma representação dos franceses, foi uma das justificativas para se dizer que Napoleão não era ambicioso, e sim que conduziu suas guerras pelo bem da França, não pela manutenção do seu Império. “A conclusão é que Napoleão não era, mais do que a maioria dos homens, ambicioso por si; mas ele era muito ambicioso pela França e ele representava ambições de trinta milhões de franceses”, é uma conclusão dada pelo autor que, na minha opinião, é muito difícil de se engolir, a meu ver, Napoleão lutou sim pelo poder em suas mãos, não pelo bem da França, não era um tirano, mas também estava muito distante de ser um herói.
“O povo comum reza por chuva, filhos saudáveis e um verão que nunca termina. Não importa para eles se os lordes poderosos jogam seu jogo de tronos, contanto que sejam deixados em paz. Eles nunca são.”
April 21, 2018
Published in 1971 this biography is far from young, yet it would be a pity to pass it over. The thing is, the English historian Vincent Cronin is not only focusing on the great events of the napoleonic saga; he aims in fact to get to grip with who was Napoleon, his personality, the man behind the iconic historical figure. Making him thus more accessible, personal and human, this biography turns indeed to be a must read for anyone interested in the topic.
It's obviously very difficult to be without bias when dealing with such a character so, like many other authors, Vincent Cronin of course has his own prejudices. He is (weirdly for an English, LOL!) very partisan.
Napoleon is here presented as a incredible man, patriot, ambitious not only for himself but France as well, and those whole politics reflects a revolutionary ideal out of norm.Whose who share such an opinion will obviously be delighted. However, what makes this book a treasure is that whose rejecting it will love it as much because, with such a view in mind, the way he deals and attempts to explain facts normally considered more than telling (e.g. freedom of opinion and speech, the Russian campaign...) truly deserve a go.
For sure, trying to explain controversial historical events through a difficult to grasp personality is not without risk. He idealises his subject, it's romantic somehow, maybe also naive, but such defects are compensated by a very pleasing and flowing style. In fact, I finished it not with the feeling of having read yet another account of the napoleonic adventure but, with the strong impress of having lived through it all alongside Napoleon himself. That was the goal of the historian. He achieved it brilliantly.
It's obviously very difficult to be without bias when dealing with such a character so, like many other authors, Vincent Cronin of course has his own prejudices. He is (weirdly for an English, LOL!) very partisan.
Napoleon is here presented as a incredible man, patriot, ambitious not only for himself but France as well, and those whole politics reflects a revolutionary ideal out of norm.Whose who share such an opinion will obviously be delighted. However, what makes this book a treasure is that whose rejecting it will love it as much because, with such a view in mind, the way he deals and attempts to explain facts normally considered more than telling (e.g. freedom of opinion and speech, the Russian campaign...) truly deserve a go.
For sure, trying to explain controversial historical events through a difficult to grasp personality is not without risk. He idealises his subject, it's romantic somehow, maybe also naive, but such defects are compensated by a very pleasing and flowing style. In fact, I finished it not with the feeling of having read yet another account of the napoleonic adventure but, with the strong impress of having lived through it all alongside Napoleon himself. That was the goal of the historian. He achieved it brilliantly.
August 1, 2025
Sempre tive uma enorme curiosidade pra conhecer a figura de Napoleão e como estou pretendendo ler O Vermelho e o Negro, achei que seria um momento oportuno. Acompanhar a trajetória desde quando ele era um menino na Córsega até seu triste exílio.
Terminei esse livro extremamente intrigado e fascinado por essa figura tão controversa. Até hoje muito se discute o que napoleão representou. Um ditador? Um revolucionário? Monarca? Embora demonstrasse essas características em diversos momentos de sua vida, ele não se reduzia a nada disso.
Napoleão apesar de controverso – o mesmo cara que prendeu o papa foi o responsável por devolver a igreja católica à frança –, era profundamente humano e tinha características muito honradas. Ia pra batalhas junto de seu exército, exigia que se cuidasse dos oponentes feridos como se fossem franceses, fora a genialidade militar que só teve dois grandes oponentes: o Frio e sua própria pressa. Razões principais que ao meu ver ocasionaram sua derrocada.
A prosa do Cronin é boa e te mantém interessado nos acontecimentos. Demorei a acostumar com o estilo não linear dele mas o motivo é compreensível, havia muitas coisas ocorrendo em paralelo, tornando o vai e volta necessário pro texto. Minha única crítica fica com a pincelada que ele dá em muitos assuntos que considero importantes, por exemplo dedicando apenas um paragrafo pra batalha de Austerlitz, uma das vitórias mais emblemáticas do exército napoleônico.
“Napoleão: uma vida” é um belo retrato da história dessa figura que em tão pouco tempo de império, teve um impacto tão grande na Europa e no mundo.
Terminei esse livro extremamente intrigado e fascinado por essa figura tão controversa. Até hoje muito se discute o que napoleão representou. Um ditador? Um revolucionário? Monarca? Embora demonstrasse essas características em diversos momentos de sua vida, ele não se reduzia a nada disso.
Napoleão apesar de controverso – o mesmo cara que prendeu o papa foi o responsável por devolver a igreja católica à frança –, era profundamente humano e tinha características muito honradas. Ia pra batalhas junto de seu exército, exigia que se cuidasse dos oponentes feridos como se fossem franceses, fora a genialidade militar que só teve dois grandes oponentes: o Frio e sua própria pressa. Razões principais que ao meu ver ocasionaram sua derrocada.
A prosa do Cronin é boa e te mantém interessado nos acontecimentos. Demorei a acostumar com o estilo não linear dele mas o motivo é compreensível, havia muitas coisas ocorrendo em paralelo, tornando o vai e volta necessário pro texto. Minha única crítica fica com a pincelada que ele dá em muitos assuntos que considero importantes, por exemplo dedicando apenas um paragrafo pra batalha de Austerlitz, uma das vitórias mais emblemáticas do exército napoleônico.
“Napoleão: uma vida” é um belo retrato da história dessa figura que em tão pouco tempo de império, teve um impacto tão grande na Europa e no mundo.
February 20, 2025
“The bullet that is to kill me has not yet been cast.”
Vincent Cronin takes an interesting approach in this biography of Napoleon—he omits all but the most passing mention of his military achievements. To be clear, he doesn’t ignore them; they are acknowledged when relevant to the narrative of Napoleon’s life, but they take up a minuscule amount of the book’s word count (Austerlitz, for instance, occupies all of two sentences). The result is striking: by largely skimming past Napoleon the Commander, Cronin is able to focus on other sides of the man: Napoleon as a husband, Napoleon as a friend, and Napoleon as an administrator.
This is a remarkably sympathetic and humanizing look at a monumental figure in European history. Cronin is unabashedly pro-Napoleon throughout much of the book (even Napoleon’s decision to crown himself emperor, in Cronin’s hands, becomes an act of selflessness), but he also doesn’t shy away from acknowledging his mistakes or errors in judgement when he feels they occur.
A part of me wishes that Cronin had spent a little more time with Napoleon on the battlefield—I’m sure that such an insightful writer could make any number of brilliant observations about the man by analyzing his moves as a warrior—but ultimately, I was delighted while reading this biography, which is at turns funny, moving, and intimate, but is always informative. My take on Cronin’s biography is much like Cronin’s take on Napoleon: not perfect, but nonetheless worthy of our respect and praise.
Vincent Cronin takes an interesting approach in this biography of Napoleon—he omits all but the most passing mention of his military achievements. To be clear, he doesn’t ignore them; they are acknowledged when relevant to the narrative of Napoleon’s life, but they take up a minuscule amount of the book’s word count (Austerlitz, for instance, occupies all of two sentences). The result is striking: by largely skimming past Napoleon the Commander, Cronin is able to focus on other sides of the man: Napoleon as a husband, Napoleon as a friend, and Napoleon as an administrator.
This is a remarkably sympathetic and humanizing look at a monumental figure in European history. Cronin is unabashedly pro-Napoleon throughout much of the book (even Napoleon’s decision to crown himself emperor, in Cronin’s hands, becomes an act of selflessness), but he also doesn’t shy away from acknowledging his mistakes or errors in judgement when he feels they occur.
A part of me wishes that Cronin had spent a little more time with Napoleon on the battlefield—I’m sure that such an insightful writer could make any number of brilliant observations about the man by analyzing his moves as a warrior—but ultimately, I was delighted while reading this biography, which is at turns funny, moving, and intimate, but is always informative. My take on Cronin’s biography is much like Cronin’s take on Napoleon: not perfect, but nonetheless worthy of our respect and praise.
February 28, 2019
Essa é uma biografia bem pessoal e não “histórica” - como normalmente são escritas as biografias de personagens como César, Hitler ou Stalin por exemplo - no sentido que o autor não se preocupa em contar os eventos históricos através do biografado e sim jogar uma luz sobre suas aspirações, intenções e reações, meramente mencionando algumas batalhas ou acontecimentos importantes. É recomendável que o leitor tenha uma noção geral da Revolução Francesa e das guerras europeias da época para ter uma maior compreensão dos acontecimentos.
A intenção do autor foi mostrar Napoleão como um homem de carne e osso, e ele cumpriu este objetivo de forma magistral. Utilizando muitas cartas, diários e documentos ele consegue mostrar Napoleão de forma muito íntima, analisando profundamente sua personalidade, e chegando a dedicar um capítulo a descrevê-lo fisicamente de forma minuciosa, assim como sua rotina como primeiro-cônsul.
O autor claramente é um fã de Napoleão, não perdendo muito tempo criticando-o e sempre destacando todas suas benfeitorias, mas isso não tira o mérito dessa grande obra.
Edição caprichada da editora Amarilys, com folhas amareladas, boa formatação de texto e uma pequena seção de fotos em papel fotográfico (12 páginas).
Recomendo!
A intenção do autor foi mostrar Napoleão como um homem de carne e osso, e ele cumpriu este objetivo de forma magistral. Utilizando muitas cartas, diários e documentos ele consegue mostrar Napoleão de forma muito íntima, analisando profundamente sua personalidade, e chegando a dedicar um capítulo a descrevê-lo fisicamente de forma minuciosa, assim como sua rotina como primeiro-cônsul.
O autor claramente é um fã de Napoleão, não perdendo muito tempo criticando-o e sempre destacando todas suas benfeitorias, mas isso não tira o mérito dessa grande obra.
Edição caprichada da editora Amarilys, com folhas amareladas, boa formatação de texto e uma pequena seção de fotos em papel fotográfico (12 páginas).
Recomendo!
September 26, 2019
Passed onto me by a relative I hadn’t really looked forward to reading this biography but was pleasantly surprised. It read more like an historical story with plots a plenty instead of the sometimes weighty factual pieces that overburden some biographies. Not that there weren’t plenty of facts and figures but they were neatly woven into this ‘story’ set either side of the turn of the nineteenth century.
Napoleon proves to be a true great, clever, brave, inspirational and goes onto be France’s figurehead despite being a born and bred Corsican who only started to learn French after it was acquired by France whereupon he left for the mainland to start his education and life as a military man.
Brilliantly told by Vincent Cronin he has certainly left a favourable impression on me as one of the absolute foremost historical figures of all time and second only to Eric Cantona as the greatest Frenchman to ever draw a breath.
Napoleon proves to be a true great, clever, brave, inspirational and goes onto be France’s figurehead despite being a born and bred Corsican who only started to learn French after it was acquired by France whereupon he left for the mainland to start his education and life as a military man.
Brilliantly told by Vincent Cronin he has certainly left a favourable impression on me as one of the absolute foremost historical figures of all time and second only to Eric Cantona as the greatest Frenchman to ever draw a breath.
October 24, 2025
En general me ha gustado mucho. Es una obra que consigue abarcar toda la vida de Napoleón de forma clara y amena, ofreciendo una visión completa sin caer en un exceso de datos ni en una lectura pesada.
Sí que he echado en falta que entrara en más detalle en algunos momentos clave, como la pérdida de España, ciertas batallas importantes o episodios destacados como la carga de los mamelucos. Entiendo, eso sí, que resumir toda su vida en unas 500 páginas es una tarea complicada, y el autor prioriza la fluidez y la coherencia del relato.
Quizás lo que menos me ha convencido es que el tono es algo indulgente: se tiende a presentar a Napoleón de forma demasiado favorable, con poca crítica a sus errores o contradicciones.
Aun así, es un libro muy recomendable si te interesa conocer la trayectoria completa de Napoleón de manera accesible, bien escrita y con un buen equilibrio entre lo personal y lo histórico.
Sí que he echado en falta que entrara en más detalle en algunos momentos clave, como la pérdida de España, ciertas batallas importantes o episodios destacados como la carga de los mamelucos. Entiendo, eso sí, que resumir toda su vida en unas 500 páginas es una tarea complicada, y el autor prioriza la fluidez y la coherencia del relato.
Quizás lo que menos me ha convencido es que el tono es algo indulgente: se tiende a presentar a Napoleón de forma demasiado favorable, con poca crítica a sus errores o contradicciones.
Aun así, es un libro muy recomendable si te interesa conocer la trayectoria completa de Napoleón de manera accesible, bien escrita y con un buen equilibrio entre lo personal y lo histórico.
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