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Waterloo
«Enigma Waterloo» così Sergio Valzania denomina l’incertezza che circonda la battaglia, non solo il suo svolgersi, lo stesso nome, i meriti e gli errori, ma perfino chi ne fu veramente il vincitore. Di questa ambiguità sono prova le due ricostruzioni che compongono questo Waterloo: la prima stesa da Walter Scott nella sua monumentale Vita di Napoleone Buonaparte; l’altra è un lungo racconto della giornata campale, costruito nella forma di una visita al campo di battaglia, contenuto nei Miserabili di Victor Hugo. Due versioni tanto differenti anche nei toni e nei sentimenti, che suggeriscono in generale la doppiezza della storia stessa. Tanto che Valzania può concludere la sua Nota al volume che vincitore fu, anche, Napoleone, lo sconfitto di quell’ora, che però coronò «un progetto di autocelebrazione perfettamente riuscito» invece di finire mediocremente all’Elba.
264 pages, Paperback
Published June 18, 2015
About the author
Victor Hugo
6,319 books13.4k followersAfter Napoleon III seized power in 1851, French writer Victor Marie Hugo went into exile and in 1870 returned to France; his novels include
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1831) and
Les Misérables
(1862).
This poet, playwright, novelist, dramatist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, and perhaps the most influential, important exponent of the Romantic movement in France, campaigned for human rights. People in France regard him as one of greatest poets of that country and know him better abroad.
This poet, playwright, novelist, dramatist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, and perhaps the most influential, important exponent of the Romantic movement in France, campaigned for human rights. People in France regard him as one of greatest poets of that country and know him better abroad.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 28, 2026
the battle of waterloo will forever intrigue me, not only because it marked the fall of napoleon, but because it feels like one of those rare moments where the fate of Europe shifted due to the simple decision of altered timing. Victor Hugo writes it in such a vivid and almost haunting manner that i could not stop thinking about it afterwards.
what fascinates me most is how fragile the entire battle truly was. a night of rain changed everything, turning the ground to mud and delaying Napoleon’s attack long enough for history itself to alter course. there is something strangely unbelievable about the fact that weather, of all things, helped determine the future of Europe. Not to mention the mockery that slapped France in the face.
and then there is the hidden ditch which caused entire waves of horsemen to fall into chaos. Hugo describes it so brilliantly that it almost feels nightmarish — men and horses disappearing into the earth amidst smoke and confusion.
even the aftermath fascinates me in a dreadful way. the battle did not end when the fighting stopped. bodies were stripped for valuables, uniforms, boots, even teeth, as looters wandered through fields filled with the dead and dying. it is horrifying, yet Hugo writes these scenes with such intensity that they become impossible to forget.
overall this was a great read, though i would question the reliability of the numbers and figures as so many accounts were written and many argue each other.
Thus the world arrives at a more balanced judgement. Babylon ravished diminishes Alexander, Rome in chains diminishes Caesar, Jerusalem sacked diminishes Titus. Tyranny follows the
tyrant. It is grievous for a man to leave behind him a shadow in his own shape.
what fascinates me most is how fragile the entire battle truly was. a night of rain changed everything, turning the ground to mud and delaying Napoleon’s attack long enough for history itself to alter course. there is something strangely unbelievable about the fact that weather, of all things, helped determine the future of Europe. Not to mention the mockery that slapped France in the face.
On this night of 17 June he (Napoleon) mocked Wellington, saying, ‘That Englishman needs a lesson.’ The rain fell more heavily and there was a crash of thunder as he spoke.
and then there is the hidden ditch which caused entire waves of horsemen to fall into chaos. Hugo describes it so brilliantly that it almost feels nightmarish — men and horses disappearing into the earth amidst smoke and confusion.
even the aftermath fascinates me in a dreadful way. the battle did not end when the fighting stopped. bodies were stripped for valuables, uniforms, boots, even teeth, as looters wandered through fields filled with the dead and dying. it is horrifying, yet Hugo writes these scenes with such intensity that they become impossible to forget.
Looting was born of looting. The abominable maxim ‘live on the enemy’
fostered the disease
overall this was a great read, though i would question the reliability of the numbers and figures as so many accounts were written and many argue each other.
August 25, 2017
Waterloo: laddove lo sconfitto diviene eterno in gloria
"... e tutta l'ombra e tutta la luce della terra hanno mutato posto, perché, nel pomeriggio di una giornata estiva, un pastore disse a un prussiano in un bosco: passate di qui e non di là!" (V. Hugo)
Antiche passioni di bimbo mi han riportato al 18 Giugno 1815, quando il genio fu travolto dal fato avverso di cento piccoli (apparentemente) insignificanti episodi e la restaurazione ottenne la sua occasione di rivincita, che peraltro poi mancò. Ma al di là dell'esito, forse la storia aveva deciso quel giorno che un ciclo doveva chiudersi e un altro cominciare, ad ogni costo. E così andò, a dispetto del giusto.
La quasi stizzita, rancorosa descrizione dei fatti di Walter Scott che cerca disperatamente di rappresentare la superiorità militare di Wellington si contrappone benissimo in questo piccolo libro all'epopea umana e politica ben più ampia e drammatica descritta da Victor Hugo de 'I miserabili', in cui ci sembra di accompagnare passo passo la Guardia e il suo eroe minimo Cambronne nel loro sacrificio immortale al grido di 'Merde!'. E' anche per questo che di Waterloo tutti ricorderemo in eterno la gloria triste di Napoleone, e non gli altri comprimari.
Trattandosi di testi pubblici non ha senso dare più di tre stelline al libretto e, date anche le minime dimensioni, forse è anche un'edizione un poco costosa. Ma dal punto di vista editoriale, l'edizione è molto curata e, nel suo pregio, c'è anche il rispetto del dramma e dei tanti caduti. E' bello ogni tanto leggere così, quasi con solennità oltre che con gran piacere. Per quel piacere qualcuno le chiama 'chicche', che ci regaliamo ogni tanto.
"... e tutta l'ombra e tutta la luce della terra hanno mutato posto, perché, nel pomeriggio di una giornata estiva, un pastore disse a un prussiano in un bosco: passate di qui e non di là!" (V. Hugo)
Antiche passioni di bimbo mi han riportato al 18 Giugno 1815, quando il genio fu travolto dal fato avverso di cento piccoli (apparentemente) insignificanti episodi e la restaurazione ottenne la sua occasione di rivincita, che peraltro poi mancò. Ma al di là dell'esito, forse la storia aveva deciso quel giorno che un ciclo doveva chiudersi e un altro cominciare, ad ogni costo. E così andò, a dispetto del giusto.
La quasi stizzita, rancorosa descrizione dei fatti di Walter Scott che cerca disperatamente di rappresentare la superiorità militare di Wellington si contrappone benissimo in questo piccolo libro all'epopea umana e politica ben più ampia e drammatica descritta da Victor Hugo de 'I miserabili', in cui ci sembra di accompagnare passo passo la Guardia e il suo eroe minimo Cambronne nel loro sacrificio immortale al grido di 'Merde!'. E' anche per questo che di Waterloo tutti ricorderemo in eterno la gloria triste di Napoleone, e non gli altri comprimari.
Trattandosi di testi pubblici non ha senso dare più di tre stelline al libretto e, date anche le minime dimensioni, forse è anche un'edizione un poco costosa. Ma dal punto di vista editoriale, l'edizione è molto curata e, nel suo pregio, c'è anche il rispetto del dramma e dei tanti caduti. E' bello ogni tanto leggere così, quasi con solennità oltre che con gran piacere. Per quel piacere qualcuno le chiama 'chicche', che ci regaliamo ogni tanto.
August 11, 2017
While you cannot fault the writing which is undeniably fluid and emotional there is an issue with accuracy. Mr Hugo creates a number of totally non-existent events, blames the rain, the time and God! While this is a rivetting account of the Wellington War, (Napoleon lost) it should be taken with a pinch of salt.
This is a book of fiction in which the the said fiction as been accepted as fact, so much so that the events have appeared as real events in the history books!
This is a book of fiction in which the the said fiction as been accepted as fact, so much so that the events have appeared as real events in the history books!
June 12, 2016
A fantastic little read by Victor Hugo... I really enjoyed his factual with hint of drama description of the battle of Waterloo. He is a master story teller for a reason and this is no exception.
October 17, 2017
Vol 125 of my Penguin's 46 book extension to their Little Black Classics Box Set (80 Vols).
This portion of Les Misérables is what taught me to NEVER read an abridged novel. Some of the best parts of Les Miserables (and other books for that matter) are left of the floor when books are edited down to attract the masses. Hugo's asides. His flamboyant diversions are what makes Les Miserables a GREAT novel. To cut them is to cut out the tasty bits.
This portion of Les Misérables is what taught me to NEVER read an abridged novel. Some of the best parts of Les Miserables (and other books for that matter) are left of the floor when books are edited down to attract the masses. Hugo's asides. His flamboyant diversions are what makes Les Miserables a GREAT novel. To cut them is to cut out the tasty bits.
May 4, 2020
This is an excerpt from Les Misérables, which is slowly winding its way up my reading list - I imagine I’ll get to it at some point this year. It was a good introduction to Hugo’s gorgeous writing skills, however I am not, nor will I ever be, interested in the descriptions of battle tactics. Luckily there was a bit more here than crash bang wallop.
Hugo’s descriptions are very fluid and vivid, and Hugo paints an excellent picture of the state of the political and social elements of the time, also hinting at the emotional. It was interesting to read of how Napoleon was raised high on a pedestal by his people, despite his horrific behaviour and decision-making skills.
A wonderful little taster of what lies in store for me when I tackle the entire tome; I’m looking forward to it.
Hugo’s descriptions are very fluid and vivid, and Hugo paints an excellent picture of the state of the political and social elements of the time, also hinting at the emotional. It was interesting to read of how Napoleon was raised high on a pedestal by his people, despite his horrific behaviour and decision-making skills.
A wonderful little taster of what lies in store for me when I tackle the entire tome; I’m looking forward to it.
July 27, 2020
Read all my reviews on https://urlphantomhive.wordpress.com
I'll be honest. I wasn't really looking forward to Waterloo. It was my penultimate Little Black Classics, and I already read Les Miserables a couple of years ago. One of the things that stood out for me there, unfortunately not in a good way, was the many long digressions which kept disrupting the flow of the story. Collected here is one such digression, on the battle of Waterloo.
Perhaps because it wasn't interrupting any larger story now, I liked it better. The writing was nice and while I find it difficult to believe this as a non-fiction account of the events, it made for better reading than I had anticipated.
~Little Black Classics #125~
I'll be honest. I wasn't really looking forward to Waterloo. It was my penultimate Little Black Classics, and I already read Les Miserables a couple of years ago. One of the things that stood out for me there, unfortunately not in a good way, was the many long digressions which kept disrupting the flow of the story. Collected here is one such digression, on the battle of Waterloo.
Perhaps because it wasn't interrupting any larger story now, I liked it better. The writing was nice and while I find it difficult to believe this as a non-fiction account of the events, it made for better reading than I had anticipated.
~Little Black Classics #125~
December 31, 2022
Victor Hugo is a master storyteller for a reason and this book demonstrates that. He writes emotionally to draw the reader in, however it’s at times difficult to distinguish where he blurs fact from fiction, blaming god for a large part of the battle’s outcome.
January 23, 2019
It is beautifully written with a style that would propel Hugo to the top of the literary world. However the temperament in the writing is that of a fractious teenager. He admits from the start that he is no expert in military tactics but then commences to identify critical tactical events throughout the battle and attempts to explain why they conspired against his hero, Napoleon. This is not some minor bias but more a call to conspiracy.
Hugo blames the weather, the tactical ground, errant Generals, miscommunications, Wellington’s standing as a sub-par commander and God for conspiring against his hero.
Hugo’s wider view is that Waterloo actually diminished Wellington much as ‘Jerusalem sacked diminished Titus’. His belief is that God stepped in to stop Napoleon’s greater excesses in Europe. I kid you not. He regularly states that if A hadn’t happened then it follows that B would not have resulted. For example, if Wellington hadn’t placed four Companies of soldiers to stubbornly defend Hougomont then the French would have taken it and turned the battle. Another, if Napoleon had sent his infantry forward to support Ney’s massed cavalry attack he would have won the battle. And another, if the lane running across the English front had not been sunken (4m deep with steep sides) then two regiments of French cavalry wouldn’t have been wiped out before reaching the English squares. Wellington, having made a detailed reconnaissance used that lane as a natural obstacle and positioned his formations to benefit from them.
In my mind the turning point of the battle was Napoleon’s decision to launch his mass cavalry, brigaded under Marshal Ney’s command but unsupported by any infantry and inadequately supported by guns. Ney completely lost his head and lead charge after charge against the English squares. The squares were diminished but the French cavalry of 5,000 were almost completely wiped out. Ney survived despite having 5 horses shot out from under him. Ney, who sought death on the battle field would have to wait another 6 months to die by French firing squad in Paris.
Hugo whilst savouring Napoleon as a genius relegates Wellington to a lucky chancer of minimal qualities. He completely ignores the fact that Wellington out-thought Napoleon on the day and that Wellington had previously won battle after battle in defeating the French in Spain.
All in all it is an interesting read, either directly from the English translation of Les Miserables or in the extract, Waterloo by Victor Hugo published by Penguin Classics.
Its value is in gaining an understanding of how the French have rationalised, in their national psyche the greatness of Napoleon whilst ignoring the ruthless and monstrous traits of his behaviour. When reading French historians you will find little time spent considering his ordering the killing of all prisoners during the Egyptian campaign or even the euthanasia of his own wounded. Nor, when that campaign collapsed his abandonment of his Army and his flight back to France. The Napoleonic era certainly brought change to Europe, some of it good however the counter-balance was subjugation and slavery, and death. Over 6 million soldiers and civilians died across Europe during the Napoleonic era.
It would be a shame if readers, new to this bit of history believed the nonsense that Victor Hugo sets before them. If you want to get a better understanding of the battle read Of Living Valour by Barnie White-Spunner.
Hugo blames the weather, the tactical ground, errant Generals, miscommunications, Wellington’s standing as a sub-par commander and God for conspiring against his hero.
Hugo’s wider view is that Waterloo actually diminished Wellington much as ‘Jerusalem sacked diminished Titus’. His belief is that God stepped in to stop Napoleon’s greater excesses in Europe. I kid you not. He regularly states that if A hadn’t happened then it follows that B would not have resulted. For example, if Wellington hadn’t placed four Companies of soldiers to stubbornly defend Hougomont then the French would have taken it and turned the battle. Another, if Napoleon had sent his infantry forward to support Ney’s massed cavalry attack he would have won the battle. And another, if the lane running across the English front had not been sunken (4m deep with steep sides) then two regiments of French cavalry wouldn’t have been wiped out before reaching the English squares. Wellington, having made a detailed reconnaissance used that lane as a natural obstacle and positioned his formations to benefit from them.
In my mind the turning point of the battle was Napoleon’s decision to launch his mass cavalry, brigaded under Marshal Ney’s command but unsupported by any infantry and inadequately supported by guns. Ney completely lost his head and lead charge after charge against the English squares. The squares were diminished but the French cavalry of 5,000 were almost completely wiped out. Ney survived despite having 5 horses shot out from under him. Ney, who sought death on the battle field would have to wait another 6 months to die by French firing squad in Paris.
Hugo whilst savouring Napoleon as a genius relegates Wellington to a lucky chancer of minimal qualities. He completely ignores the fact that Wellington out-thought Napoleon on the day and that Wellington had previously won battle after battle in defeating the French in Spain.
All in all it is an interesting read, either directly from the English translation of Les Miserables or in the extract, Waterloo by Victor Hugo published by Penguin Classics.
Its value is in gaining an understanding of how the French have rationalised, in their national psyche the greatness of Napoleon whilst ignoring the ruthless and monstrous traits of his behaviour. When reading French historians you will find little time spent considering his ordering the killing of all prisoners during the Egyptian campaign or even the euthanasia of his own wounded. Nor, when that campaign collapsed his abandonment of his Army and his flight back to France. The Napoleonic era certainly brought change to Europe, some of it good however the counter-balance was subjugation and slavery, and death. Over 6 million soldiers and civilians died across Europe during the Napoleonic era.
It would be a shame if readers, new to this bit of history believed the nonsense that Victor Hugo sets before them. If you want to get a better understanding of the battle read Of Living Valour by Barnie White-Spunner.
March 15, 2013
The title of the book I read was actually "So Then This is the Battle of Waterloo." It has a copyright date of 1907 and was done into a printed book by the famous Roycroffters of New York. I am assuming that has the same contents as "The Battle of Waterloo," which is the nearest title I could find on here. This was a wonderful, meloncholy little look into history.
December 20, 2025
𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒊��𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒚. 𝑨 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏. 🗡️🍃
The book is an excerpt from Victor Hugo's novel les miserables and contains a romanticised version of the events of battle of waterloo. Although the major events mentioned in the book are accurate, a lot of the smaller details and events are fictionalized. Victor Hugo believes that there was divine intervention in Napoleon losing the battle. Despite having a better army and artillery, and being at the peak of his power, Napoleon still loses because God wanted him to:
𝑻𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑵𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆, 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔, 𝑵𝒐. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏? 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒍ü𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓? 𝑵𝒐. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅.
𝑵𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅; 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅.
𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒕; 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇.
Here are some of my fav quotes:
🔸Had it not rained in the night of 17-18 June 1815, the future of Europe would have been different.
🔸With the Dantes and the Michelangelos, to grow older is to grow: is it to shrink, in the case of the Hannibals and the Bonapartes?
🔸The daylight of history is merciless; it has the strange and magical quality that, although it is composed of light, and precisely because of this, it casts shadows where once only brilliance was to be seen, making of one man two images, each opposed to the other, so that the darkness of the despot counteracts the majesty of the leader.
🔸Babylon ravished diminishes Alexander, Rome in chains diminishes Caesar, Jerusalem sacked diminishes Titus. Tyranny follows the tyrant. It is grievous for a man to leave behind him a shadow in his own shape.
🔸To depict a battle we need a painter with chaos in his brush.
🔸No narrator, be he never so conscientious, can fix the exact shape of that ugly cloud that is called a battle.
🔸Thus does Destiny deceive us; our joys are shadows, the last laugh is God's.
🔸Ridet Caesar, Pompieus flebit - if Caesar laughs Pompey will weep.
🔸A creature of light and dark, Napoleon believed himself to be protected in good and tolerated in evil.
🔸The Battle of Waterloo is an enigma as incomprehensible to the winners as to the loser. To Napoleon it was a panic; Blücher saw it simply as a matter of fire-power, and Wellington did not understand it at all.
🔸But, a strange paradox, they were in love both with the future, which was Liberty, and with the past, which was Napoleon.
The book is an excerpt from Victor Hugo's novel les miserables and contains a romanticised version of the events of battle of waterloo. Although the major events mentioned in the book are accurate, a lot of the smaller details and events are fictionalized. Victor Hugo believes that there was divine intervention in Napoleon losing the battle. Despite having a better army and artillery, and being at the peak of his power, Napoleon still loses because God wanted him to:
𝑻𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑵𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆, 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔, 𝑵𝒐. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏? 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒍ü𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓? 𝑵𝒐. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅.
𝑵𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅; 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅.
𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒕; 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇.
Here are some of my fav quotes:
🔸Had it not rained in the night of 17-18 June 1815, the future of Europe would have been different.
🔸With the Dantes and the Michelangelos, to grow older is to grow: is it to shrink, in the case of the Hannibals and the Bonapartes?
🔸The daylight of history is merciless; it has the strange and magical quality that, although it is composed of light, and precisely because of this, it casts shadows where once only brilliance was to be seen, making of one man two images, each opposed to the other, so that the darkness of the despot counteracts the majesty of the leader.
🔸Babylon ravished diminishes Alexander, Rome in chains diminishes Caesar, Jerusalem sacked diminishes Titus. Tyranny follows the tyrant. It is grievous for a man to leave behind him a shadow in his own shape.
🔸To depict a battle we need a painter with chaos in his brush.
🔸No narrator, be he never so conscientious, can fix the exact shape of that ugly cloud that is called a battle.
🔸Thus does Destiny deceive us; our joys are shadows, the last laugh is God's.
🔸Ridet Caesar, Pompieus flebit - if Caesar laughs Pompey will weep.
🔸A creature of light and dark, Napoleon believed himself to be protected in good and tolerated in evil.
🔸The Battle of Waterloo is an enigma as incomprehensible to the winners as to the loser. To Napoleon it was a panic; Blücher saw it simply as a matter of fire-power, and Wellington did not understand it at all.
🔸But, a strange paradox, they were in love both with the future, which was Liberty, and with the past, which was Napoleon.
June 3, 2026
"Napoleon had been impeached in Heaven and his fall decreed; he was troublesome to God."
"Imagination deified the fallen despot and for a long time after Waterloo the heart of Europe was overcast in the enormous emptiness left by his passing.
The kings took it upon themselves to fill this vacuum, and Europe used it for its own re-shaping"
"Had it not rained in the night of 17–18 June 1815, the future of Europe would have been different."
"With the Dantes and the Michelangelos, to grow older is to grow: is it to shrink, in the case of the Hannibals and the Bonapartes?"
"Geometry is misleading; only the tempest is true."
"there comes a stage in every battle when it degenerates into hand-to-hand combat, dissolves in fragments, innumerable separate episodes concerning which Napoleon himself said that they belong more to regimental records than to the history of an army. Thus the historian has a right to summarize. He can do no more than grasp the broad outline. No narrator, be he never so conscientious, can fix the exact shape of that ugly cloud that is called a battle."
"A creature of light and dark, Napoleon believed himself to be protected in good and tolerated in evil."
"Waterloo was not a battle but a change in the direction of the world."
"Waterloo is the date of the confounding of liberty. It is strange that such a bird should have been hatched out of such an egg."
"We must read into Waterloo no more than it truly represented. There was no intention of liberty. The counter-revolution involuntarily turned liberal just as Napoleon, by a parallel phenomenon, involuntarily turned revolutionary"
"If glory be the sword turned sceptre, then the Empire was the embodiment of glory. It had diffused all the light that tyranny can shed, a sombre light, and worse, an obscure light which, compared with the true light of day, is darkness; and the ending of this darkness was like the ending of an eclipse."
"The stature of mankind had been at once heightened and diminished by Napoleon. The ideal, in that reign of splendid materialism, was given the strange name of ideology, a grave miscalculation on the part of the great man, making a mock of the future."
"But in the eye of eternity what did it amount to? Tempest and thunder-cloud, the war and then the peace, not all that turmoil could for an instant trouble the gaze of the immense all-seeing eye wherein a grasshopper jumping from one blade of grass to the next equals the flight of an eagle between the towers of Notre-Dame."
"Imagination deified the fallen despot and for a long time after Waterloo the heart of Europe was overcast in the enormous emptiness left by his passing.
The kings took it upon themselves to fill this vacuum, and Europe used it for its own re-shaping"
"Had it not rained in the night of 17–18 June 1815, the future of Europe would have been different."
"With the Dantes and the Michelangelos, to grow older is to grow: is it to shrink, in the case of the Hannibals and the Bonapartes?"
"Geometry is misleading; only the tempest is true."
"there comes a stage in every battle when it degenerates into hand-to-hand combat, dissolves in fragments, innumerable separate episodes concerning which Napoleon himself said that they belong more to regimental records than to the history of an army. Thus the historian has a right to summarize. He can do no more than grasp the broad outline. No narrator, be he never so conscientious, can fix the exact shape of that ugly cloud that is called a battle."
"A creature of light and dark, Napoleon believed himself to be protected in good and tolerated in evil."
"Waterloo was not a battle but a change in the direction of the world."
"Waterloo is the date of the confounding of liberty. It is strange that such a bird should have been hatched out of such an egg."
"We must read into Waterloo no more than it truly represented. There was no intention of liberty. The counter-revolution involuntarily turned liberal just as Napoleon, by a parallel phenomenon, involuntarily turned revolutionary"
"If glory be the sword turned sceptre, then the Empire was the embodiment of glory. It had diffused all the light that tyranny can shed, a sombre light, and worse, an obscure light which, compared with the true light of day, is darkness; and the ending of this darkness was like the ending of an eclipse."
"The stature of mankind had been at once heightened and diminished by Napoleon. The ideal, in that reign of splendid materialism, was given the strange name of ideology, a grave miscalculation on the part of the great man, making a mock of the future."
"But in the eye of eternity what did it amount to? Tempest and thunder-cloud, the war and then the peace, not all that turmoil could for an instant trouble the gaze of the immense all-seeing eye wherein a grasshopper jumping from one blade of grass to the next equals the flight of an eagle between the towers of Notre-Dame."
July 22, 2021
"ᴛʜᴇ ɪᴍᴍᴏʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴍᴀᴛʜᴇᴍᴀᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴏʀ ᴅɪᴀɢʀᴀᴍ ᴍᴀʏ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ. ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴘɪᴄᴛ ᴀ ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴡᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴘᴀɪɴᴛᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄʜᴀᴏs ɪɴ ʜɪs ʙʀᴜsʜ."
It was 17 June 1815, and it was raining. Mont-Saint-Jean was soaked in the rain for a crucial event in history. Napolean was thrilled, ready to occur the throne of victory with a generally acknowledged masterly plan. But it didn't really turned out as he planned, why? Did Destiny act as a mysterious culprit there?
"ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ᴀɴ ᴇʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇsᴛᴜᴏᴜs ᴄᴏɴᴠᴜʟsɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ – ϙᴜɪᴅ ᴏʙsᴄᴜʀᴜᴍ, ϙᴜɪᴅ ᴅɪᴠɪɴᴜᴍ – ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʜɪsᴛᴏʀɪᴀɴ, ᴘᴇᴇʀɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇ̂ʟᴇ́ᴇ, ᴄᴀɴ ғɪɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ғᴏʀ."
Victor Hugo's Waterloo is an excerpt from his famous novel Les Misérables and an extraordinarily perceptive account of the Battle of Waterloo which marked the final defeat of Napolean. Hugo's dramatic descriptions of the battle dwell on the different reasons of the defeat of Napolean and emphasize the role of God, rain and destiny in the clash.
He vividly portrays how the shouts of ‘Vive l’empéreur’ turned to ‘sauve qui peut’, how the rain soaked earth of the Mont-Saint-Jean became blood soaked and how the battle became more than just a battle. So the future of Napolean and Europe would have been different if it hadn't rained on that day? Sounds fictious yet poetic. Hugo's astounding writing skills and the remarkable, emotional narration of the battle takes the reader to the battlefield.
"ᴡᴇʟʟɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴄʜɴɪᴄɪᴀɴ ᴏғ ᴡᴀʀ, ɴᴀᴘᴏʟᴇᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ɪᴛs ᴍɪᴄʜᴇʟᴀɴɢᴇʟᴏ; ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɢᴇɴɪᴜs ᴡᴀs ᴠᴀɴϙᴜɪsʜᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʀᴜʟᴇ-ᴏғ-ᴛʜᴜᴍʙ."
Although the narration is fluid and subtle, I doubt the accuracy of the events. Alas! I'm not really aware of the European History! But this little classic was interesting enough to read it in one sitting moreover this would be a great start for those who are into Hugo's works!
It was 17 June 1815, and it was raining. Mont-Saint-Jean was soaked in the rain for a crucial event in history. Napolean was thrilled, ready to occur the throne of victory with a generally acknowledged masterly plan. But it didn't really turned out as he planned, why? Did Destiny act as a mysterious culprit there?
"ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ᴀɴ ᴇʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇsᴛᴜᴏᴜs ᴄᴏɴᴠᴜʟsɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ – ϙᴜɪᴅ ᴏʙsᴄᴜʀᴜᴍ, ϙᴜɪᴅ ᴅɪᴠɪɴᴜᴍ – ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʜɪsᴛᴏʀɪᴀɴ, ᴘᴇᴇʀɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇ̂ʟᴇ́ᴇ, ᴄᴀɴ ғɪɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ғᴏʀ."
Victor Hugo's Waterloo is an excerpt from his famous novel Les Misérables and an extraordinarily perceptive account of the Battle of Waterloo which marked the final defeat of Napolean. Hugo's dramatic descriptions of the battle dwell on the different reasons of the defeat of Napolean and emphasize the role of God, rain and destiny in the clash.
He vividly portrays how the shouts of ‘Vive l’empéreur’ turned to ‘sauve qui peut’, how the rain soaked earth of the Mont-Saint-Jean became blood soaked and how the battle became more than just a battle. So the future of Napolean and Europe would have been different if it hadn't rained on that day? Sounds fictious yet poetic. Hugo's astounding writing skills and the remarkable, emotional narration of the battle takes the reader to the battlefield.
"ᴡᴇʟʟɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴄʜɴɪᴄɪᴀɴ ᴏғ ᴡᴀʀ, ɴᴀᴘᴏʟᴇᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ɪᴛs ᴍɪᴄʜᴇʟᴀɴɢᴇʟᴏ; ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɢᴇɴɪᴜs ᴡᴀs ᴠᴀɴϙᴜɪsʜᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʀᴜʟᴇ-ᴏғ-ᴛʜᴜᴍʙ."
Although the narration is fluid and subtle, I doubt the accuracy of the events. Alas! I'm not really aware of the European History! But this little classic was interesting enough to read it in one sitting moreover this would be a great start for those who are into Hugo's works!
March 6, 2021
”Waterloo was not a battle but a change in direction of the world.”
I initially thought this was an independent essay written by Hugo; instead, it is an excerpt taken from Les Misérables. Still, I loved re-familiarizing myself with his work.
Hugo’s storytelling is fluid, vivid. His recount of the Battle of Waterloo is interspersed with prophetical statements such as this: ”Napoleon has been impeached in Heaven and his fall decreed; he was troublesome to God.”
I particularly love how he personifies time and makes grand statements about the course of history: “History, put out of countenance, can no longer recognize herself” and “Destiny is shaped by moments such as this.”
If you’re looking to get into Hugo’s work, this Penguin Little Black Classic is a great starting point.
I initially thought this was an independent essay written by Hugo; instead, it is an excerpt taken from Les Misérables. Still, I loved re-familiarizing myself with his work.
Hugo’s storytelling is fluid, vivid. His recount of the Battle of Waterloo is interspersed with prophetical statements such as this: ”Napoleon has been impeached in Heaven and his fall decreed; he was troublesome to God.”
I particularly love how he personifies time and makes grand statements about the course of history: “History, put out of countenance, can no longer recognize herself” and “Destiny is shaped by moments such as this.”
If you’re looking to get into Hugo’s work, this Penguin Little Black Classic is a great starting point.
August 15, 2018
Okay, I'm not European and not really familiar with European history. I've heard of Napoleon, of course, but never really paid attention, until I grab this book.
Yes, the book told us about the defeat of a great commander Napoleon Bonaparte from Duke Wellington of England, in Waterloo.
But, to add more dramatic sound, the book was written by a great poet Victor Hugo, so yeah, you can imagine how much sentiment was added in the book. p.s Victor Hugo was French, yet he tried his best to be neutral without losing the entertainment part. But yeah, instead of being annoyed by the way the writer insert the sense of drama, I enjoyed the entire book. This book definitely inspired me to read more about Napoleon Bonaparte.
Yes, the book told us about the defeat of a great commander Napoleon Bonaparte from Duke Wellington of England, in Waterloo.
But, to add more dramatic sound, the book was written by a great poet Victor Hugo, so yeah, you can imagine how much sentiment was added in the book. p.s Victor Hugo was French, yet he tried his best to be neutral without losing the entertainment part. But yeah, instead of being annoyed by the way the writer insert the sense of drama, I enjoyed the entire book. This book definitely inspired me to read more about Napoleon Bonaparte.
January 11, 2025
Con brio! A very dramatic short interpretation of Waterloo, both the battle and its significance as a turning point in history, that includes interesting insights into Napoleon, national character and the writing of military history. Gets a bit mystical about how the Gods foredained that Napoleon must lose for history to progress.
January 23, 2018
This description of the battle of Waterloo from Victor Hugo is in fact an excerpt from the Les Miserables. A detailed and throughout depiction but without context it’s feels a bit empty and without reason.
May 5, 2026
A short account of the chain of unpredicted and overlooked errors over the day of the battle that led to the fall of Napoleons reign. Not my normal read or genre but it was written less from a historic point and more of a philosophical one which made it slightly more interesting
June 18, 2022
Ain't no way this was just 60 pages. Took me 2 hours to read.
October 2, 2017
My first book encounter with Victor Hugo (I recently toured his house in Guernsey), and it was extremely impressive. Although this was a stand alone book about the battle of Waterloo, it is an excerpt from Les Miserables. I am now hooked. Wonderful prose, and will move on to more of his works. Besides the fact he was a exiled from France, it was still his true love of his country. His words are rich and bring everything to life. Really good.
'Brave Frenchmen, will you not surrender?' Cambronne answered, 'Merde!' A tense, dramatic account of the Battle of Waterloo - and how a rain shower changed history - from Victor Hugo's epic novel Les Misérables
'Brave Frenchmen, will you not surrender?' Cambronne answered, 'Merde!' A tense, dramatic account of the Battle of Waterloo - and how a rain shower changed history - from Victor Hugo's epic novel Les Misérables
May 19, 2016
I read this book today, and it was pretty good. I loved hearing all of the mutterings uttered by the Duke and Napoleon. They seemed like an interesting pair.
If you love reading about famous battles, well obviously they don't get much more famous than Waterloo. This is a pretty good account, even if I didn't understand all of it.
If you love reading about famous battles, well obviously they don't get much more famous than Waterloo. This is a pretty good account, even if I didn't understand all of it.
July 31, 2016
*3.5*
My first voluntary read of an account of a battle, and Waterloo was a really good choice. The dramatic narration style of Victor Hugo made this a very interesting read. And Cambronne is awesome.
My first voluntary read of an account of a battle, and Waterloo was a really good choice. The dramatic narration style of Victor Hugo made this a very interesting read. And Cambronne is awesome.
December 19, 2016
A very thrilling re-telling of the Battle of Waterloo, this little black classic is actually an excerpt from Vitor Hugo's novel Les Miserables. I know very little about European history, but it sure did pique my interest.
May 6, 2021
The blurb doesn't lie; that was super intense!
"Wellington was the technician of war, Napoleon was its Michaelangelo; and this time genius was vanquished by rule-of-thumb."
"Wellington was the technician of war, Napoleon was its Michaelangelo; and this time genius was vanquished by rule-of-thumb."
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