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آخرین امپراتور
این کتاب داستان آخرین امپراتور چین به نام «پویی» است. وی که از خانواده سلطنتی «ایزن جورو منچو» و دوازدهمین و آخرین امپراتور دودمان چینگ بود، پیش از اینکه نظام کمونیستی در چین به روی کار آید، بر سر قدرت بود و این کتاب، تحلیل و واکاوی اتفاقاتی که در زمان او اتفاق افتاده، است.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
17 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
About the author
Edward Samuel Behr
16 books11 followersEdward Samuel Behr was a journalist; he worked primarily as a foreign & war correspondent. He began his career in the early 1950s with the Reuters news agency, then worked for Time-Life, serving as bureau chief in several cities around the world for Time Magazine. He then took a position with Newsweek in 1965 as Asia bureau chief, based in Hong Kong. Later in his career, Mr. Behr also made a number of documentaries for the BBC. He wrote several books during his life on various subjects, including a memoir which was published in 1978.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 13, 2011
Certainly, an enthralling story, told by a journalist who is not an expert Sinologist. There are a few grammatical mistakes as well. As a whole, the book is intriguing in the extreme, telling the story of Pu Yi, who went from god to puppet emperor to “remoulded” model Communist citizen. Behr is good at speculating as to Pu Yi’s motives, questioning his sincerity, and so on, which are impossible to know for certain. However, he also often falls into the trap of accepting accounts in Pu Yi’s memoir, written after the fact to show what a model Commie he had become, at face value. Still, it’s a good read, somewhat sensationalist, but not irresponsible.
January 3, 2020
El 2 de diciembre de 1908 un niño, que aún no entendía ni quien era, ni lo que hacían con él fue nombrado Emperador de China. Nadie de los que estuvieron presentes ese día imaginaron que él sería el último de todos los emperadores y él no sabía lo que sería su vida. Esta es la historia de Puyi, último emperador de la dinastía Qing.
El libro cuenta la historia de alguien que nunca tomó una decisión propia sobre su vida y que siempre estuvo al servicio de los placeres de una deteriorada monarquía china. Al principio uno creería que ser nombrado emperador de su país debería ser un símbolo de alegría para alguien que sea de sangre real, pero es algo que no es tan interesante cuando una decisión del tipo es tomada sobre la vida de un pequeño de 3 años, es separado de su familia y es llevado a la Ciudad Prohibida donde tiene que llevar una vida ahora como si fuera un dios encarnado; algo para lo que no está preparado —creería yo— nadie.
Una historia que dista mucho de ser una epopeya épica llena de conquistas, guerras ganadas y muchas glorias; y que en cambio nos muestra como un hombre común y corriente es usado como un simple títere por la envejecida monarquía y aristocracia de su país con el único motivo de conservar el poder y postergar los dominios de una envejecida clase dominante que distaba mucho de ser la que había gobernado sobre el país oriental en los anteriores siglos. Una sociedad cada vez más consumida por la necesidad de aparentar, por querer conservar la opulencia con la que se mostraban y llena de corruptos en todas las escalas que lo único que hacían era llenar sus bolsillos mientras el país entraba en una crisis inevitable.
Para contar la historia de Puyi, desde sus inicios, su época como emperador, su exilio, su nuevo papel como emperador del estado fallido de Manchukuo, su estadía en prisión y sus últimos días como un ciudadano del común de la China comunista de los años 60's; Edward Behr se vale del recuento que pudieron hacer en vida los parientes que le sobrevivieron al emperador, los sirvientes de palacio durante su reinado y de las personas con las que más tuvo contacto en sus últimos años.
De manera cronológica, con una antesala que introduce de la mejor manera el contexto chino de finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX y que complementa muy bien los relatos recopilados con otros libros que exploran el acontecimiento desde diferentes puntos de vista, el libro intenta dar una imagen lo más neutral posible de este acontecimiento histórico; algo que, por lo que se logra entrever de los textos que son citados, no ha sido el fuerte de los mismos y que intentaban mostrar a Puyi o como un mártir o como la causa de todos los males de China en el siglo XX.
Un libro que si bien cuenta una historia muy lejana en el tiempo; no deja de ser interesante y de mostrar hitos de la historia conocidos por todos desde otros puntos de vista que ayudan a comprender mejor los acontecimientos que moldearon el siglo pasado y que golpearon a un gran número de estados de todo el globo. Un libro que habla de la avaricia de poder y de lo que son capaces de hacer los humanos a costa de tenerlo, sea por "derecho legítimo" o por cualquier medio del que dispongan a su alcance para hacerlo.
El libro es un conjunto junto con la película que lleva el mismo nombre del director italiano Bernardo Bertolucci (1987), el primer largometraje que tuvo ingreso a la ciudad prohibida en la historia, ganadora de 9 Óscar's y que recaudó casi 44 millones de dólares en taquilla. Ninguno está basado en el otro, son simplemente el producto de un trabajo investigativo en conjunto que llevaron a contar la historia en dos formatos muy diferentes, pero igualmente interesantes.
El libro cuenta la historia de alguien que nunca tomó una decisión propia sobre su vida y que siempre estuvo al servicio de los placeres de una deteriorada monarquía china. Al principio uno creería que ser nombrado emperador de su país debería ser un símbolo de alegría para alguien que sea de sangre real, pero es algo que no es tan interesante cuando una decisión del tipo es tomada sobre la vida de un pequeño de 3 años, es separado de su familia y es llevado a la Ciudad Prohibida donde tiene que llevar una vida ahora como si fuera un dios encarnado; algo para lo que no está preparado —creería yo— nadie.
Una historia que dista mucho de ser una epopeya épica llena de conquistas, guerras ganadas y muchas glorias; y que en cambio nos muestra como un hombre común y corriente es usado como un simple títere por la envejecida monarquía y aristocracia de su país con el único motivo de conservar el poder y postergar los dominios de una envejecida clase dominante que distaba mucho de ser la que había gobernado sobre el país oriental en los anteriores siglos. Una sociedad cada vez más consumida por la necesidad de aparentar, por querer conservar la opulencia con la que se mostraban y llena de corruptos en todas las escalas que lo único que hacían era llenar sus bolsillos mientras el país entraba en una crisis inevitable.
Para contar la historia de Puyi, desde sus inicios, su época como emperador, su exilio, su nuevo papel como emperador del estado fallido de Manchukuo, su estadía en prisión y sus últimos días como un ciudadano del común de la China comunista de los años 60's; Edward Behr se vale del recuento que pudieron hacer en vida los parientes que le sobrevivieron al emperador, los sirvientes de palacio durante su reinado y de las personas con las que más tuvo contacto en sus últimos años.
De manera cronológica, con una antesala que introduce de la mejor manera el contexto chino de finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX y que complementa muy bien los relatos recopilados con otros libros que exploran el acontecimiento desde diferentes puntos de vista, el libro intenta dar una imagen lo más neutral posible de este acontecimiento histórico; algo que, por lo que se logra entrever de los textos que son citados, no ha sido el fuerte de los mismos y que intentaban mostrar a Puyi o como un mártir o como la causa de todos los males de China en el siglo XX.
Un libro que si bien cuenta una historia muy lejana en el tiempo; no deja de ser interesante y de mostrar hitos de la historia conocidos por todos desde otros puntos de vista que ayudan a comprender mejor los acontecimientos que moldearon el siglo pasado y que golpearon a un gran número de estados de todo el globo. Un libro que habla de la avaricia de poder y de lo que son capaces de hacer los humanos a costa de tenerlo, sea por "derecho legítimo" o por cualquier medio del que dispongan a su alcance para hacerlo.
El libro es un conjunto junto con la película que lleva el mismo nombre del director italiano Bernardo Bertolucci (1987), el primer largometraje que tuvo ingreso a la ciudad prohibida en la historia, ganadora de 9 Óscar's y que recaudó casi 44 millones de dólares en taquilla. Ninguno está basado en el otro, son simplemente el producto de un trabajo investigativo en conjunto que llevaron a contar la historia en dos formatos muy diferentes, pero igualmente interesantes.
September 4, 2014
Pu Yi for dummies
questo libro vorrebbe essere una bio di Aisin Gioro Pu Yi ultimo imperatore della dinastia Ching e in assoluto ultimo a sedere sul trono del Drago
tralasciando la prosa sciatta e l'obsoleta traduzione, bisogna innanzitutto sapere che questo libro è stato scritto dopo il film di Bertolucci e su quella scia mandato in pasto al pubblico, ma il punto è che l'intero racconto è copiato passo passo dal precedente L'Ultimo Imperatore di Arnold C. Brackman edito circa dieci anni prima, scritto meglio e tradotto da qualcuno del nostro secolo che non si ingarbuglia coi congiuntivi e con gli avverbi
ovviamente la storia è esattamente la stessa e Behr ha pure avuto l'arroganza di tagliare la prima parte del libro di Brackman, quella in cui si racconta della calata dei Ching dalla Manciuria che provocò la fine della dinastia Ming e l'unico caso di una dinastia non cinese che abbia governato il Regno di Mezzo, ma per il resto si contano esattamente le stesse parole per descrivere gli eventi, in alcuni casi i passi coincidono, roba da far venire voglia di prendere a calci lui e i furboni che l'hanno pubblicato...
insomma se vi interessasse conoscere la storia di Pu Yi conviene leggere Brackman e lasciare questo libercolo là dove dovrebbe stare sul serio: su uno scaffale polveroso a memento perenne della stupidità delle operazioni commerciali e dei fessi che ci cascano
questo libro vorrebbe essere una bio di Aisin Gioro Pu Yi ultimo imperatore della dinastia Ching e in assoluto ultimo a sedere sul trono del Drago
tralasciando la prosa sciatta e l'obsoleta traduzione, bisogna innanzitutto sapere che questo libro è stato scritto dopo il film di Bertolucci e su quella scia mandato in pasto al pubblico, ma il punto è che l'intero racconto è copiato passo passo dal precedente L'Ultimo Imperatore di Arnold C. Brackman edito circa dieci anni prima, scritto meglio e tradotto da qualcuno del nostro secolo che non si ingarbuglia coi congiuntivi e con gli avverbi
ovviamente la storia è esattamente la stessa e Behr ha pure avuto l'arroganza di tagliare la prima parte del libro di Brackman, quella in cui si racconta della calata dei Ching dalla Manciuria che provocò la fine della dinastia Ming e l'unico caso di una dinastia non cinese che abbia governato il Regno di Mezzo, ma per il resto si contano esattamente le stesse parole per descrivere gli eventi, in alcuni casi i passi coincidono, roba da far venire voglia di prendere a calci lui e i furboni che l'hanno pubblicato...
insomma se vi interessasse conoscere la storia di Pu Yi conviene leggere Brackman e lasciare questo libercolo là dove dovrebbe stare sul serio: su uno scaffale polveroso a memento perenne della stupidità delle operazioni commerciali e dei fessi che ci cascano
June 5, 2023
Pu Yi was already an artifact from the time that he ascended to the throne at three years old. The story could have been short, the tale of a little boy hoisted to power and then removed from it in 1911. But for better or worse (very arguably for worse) he was used in a shameful chapter of history the creation of the Manchukuo empire, in this chapter we face one of the toughest moral problems, is passive acceptance the same as collaboration? This book doesn't tackle the question but it does attempt to define the character of Pu Yi in order to understand what he made of the suffering going on around him. Arguably like Hirohito, Pu Yi presented himself as naïve and clueless where he had been far more aware than history has usually accepted. The final chapter is rather uplifting, despite everything it seems that Pu Yi finds some sort of peace after his reforming period in prison. How deep this reformation went is up for debate but the evidence produced in the book, suggests that it was quite a genuine transformation. This book illustrates a time of immense change in China, played out through the life of one of the most interesting and tragic characters in Chinese history.
September 10, 2017
Quiet an interesting read which by the end you almost feel sorry for Pu Yi the last emperor of China.
The book provides a fascinating look at his life as well as providing a solid context for his life in the events both political and social which transformed him from child emperor to puppet king and finally to 'reformed' communist citizen.
The book provides a fascinating look at his life as well as providing a solid context for his life in the events both political and social which transformed him from child emperor to puppet king and finally to 'reformed' communist citizen.
September 27, 2017
A unique and interesting biography which gives insight into the last holder of the imperial throne. A good read, especially interesting in its discussion of Puyi's time as ruler of the so-called "Manchukuo" puppet state.
January 22, 2020
As historical books go, this one held my interest all the way through, hence the higher rating. I've been fascinated with Pu Yi's story since the movie, which I've watched multiple times. This book, which is not based on the movie but a proper biography, fills in a lot of detail.
November 28, 2023
سرگذشت پویی اخرین امپراتور کشور چین که بلایا و دشواری های بسیاری دید و چشید و چشاند . روایتی نزدیک و گاهی متفاوت از آنچه در فیلم آخرین امپراتور به کارگردانی برتولوچی دیده ایم . در این کتاب پویی تلخ تر . ترسو تر و زننده تر از آن چیزیست که در فیلم برتولوچی به نمایش گذاشته شده . پویی به دلیل خیانت به کشورش و تاسیس امپراتوری منچوکو که دست نشانده ژاپن بود مورد خشم حکومت کمونیستی چین قرار گرفت و سالها در زندان های کمونیستی بازپروری شد.
May 27, 2019
آخرین امپراتور سرگذشت تراژیک پویی است. کودکی سه ساله بر تخت سلطنت می نشیند، سه سال بعد اعلام جمهوری می شود شاهد توطئه خواجگان دربار در قصر ممنوعه است و در آخرین مرحله زندگی سیاسی آلت دست امپراتور ژاپن هیروهیتو می شود و در نهایت ۱۴ سال در زندان حکومت کمونیستی می ماند تا تبدیل به «شهروند» شود.
آخرین امپراتورسرگذشت دردناک خدای چینی است که روزگاری صد ها ندیمه خدمتگزارش بودند در آخر عمر به عنوان یک کمونیست معتقد می می میرد.
این کتاب اطلاعات مهمی از حکومت های چین مابین سال های ۱۹۰۶ تا ۱۹۴۹ به دست می دهد. حکایت ملوک الطوایفی به خاطر ضعف سلسله چینگ،جمهوری نافرجام، اشغالگری ژاپن و قدرت های غربی و در نهایت به قدرت رسیدن مائو.
آخرین امپراتورسرگذشت دردناک خدای چینی است که روزگاری صد ها ندیمه خدمتگزارش بودند در آخر عمر به عنوان یک کمونیست معتقد می می میرد.
این کتاب اطلاعات مهمی از حکومت های چین مابین سال های ۱۹۰۶ تا ۱۹۴۹ به دست می دهد. حکایت ملوک الطوایفی به خاطر ضعف سلسله چینگ،جمهوری نافرجام، اشغالگری ژاپن و قدرت های غربی و در نهایت به قدرت رسیدن مائو.
March 18, 2020
As far as biographies go, there are definitely worse though, as admitted during the first chapter, Behr is not a historian and he writes with an overarching aim to write the 'book of the film' The Last Emperor. Behr has a tendancy to try to brush off Pu Yi's cruelty as a reaction to outside influences, as well as a real determination to paint the last Emperor as a victim and seems completely incapable of not repeating ad nauseum that he once saw Pu Yi himself and making some pretty incredible reaches based on a moment of mutual eye contact. There are moments of genuine engagement and good writing, but for the most part this is a solid swing and miss.
July 9, 2017
آخرین امپراتور زندگی پویی، آخرین امپراتور چین را به تصویر درآورده است.
June 1, 2022
The book gives an overview of the life of Pu Yi the last emperor of the Ching Dynasty. It has a little bit of everything. Cultural practices, daily lives, how the palace is run, how Pu Yi rose to power and how people around him let to his rise and fall.
It covers the rebellion, the invasion of Japan, the turnover to Russia, the betrayal of Chiang Kai-shek, the fall of the Matsuoko Dynasty.
The reader should have a basic knowledge and background on history. This is more of a documentary book as told by another person. I see speculation and personal interpretations between the lines. I look forward to the pictures but i suppose that most if noy all were lifted from the movie.
I was able to enjoy the movie more for its cinematic effects. The book was dragging in some parts.
It covers the rebellion, the invasion of Japan, the turnover to Russia, the betrayal of Chiang Kai-shek, the fall of the Matsuoko Dynasty.
The reader should have a basic knowledge and background on history. This is more of a documentary book as told by another person. I see speculation and personal interpretations between the lines. I look forward to the pictures but i suppose that most if noy all were lifted from the movie.
I was able to enjoy the movie more for its cinematic effects. The book was dragging in some parts.
February 22, 2021
It is an ok as a light read. Whatever you read should be taken with a grain of salt however. There are several factual historical errors and omission, the author often speak to the state of mind of Pu Yi as well as other historical figures and sometimes relies on less-than-reputable sources, particularly when referred to the political and historical context of Asia around 1930-1949.
The biographical and historically information is arguably a curate. This book should not be taken to be anything remotely close to academical or authoritative, rather it should be enjoyed as the commercially watered down paperback biography it was design to be, to Behr's own admittance.
The biographical and historically information is arguably a curate. This book should not be taken to be anything remotely close to academical or authoritative, rather it should be enjoyed as the commercially watered down paperback biography it was design to be, to Behr's own admittance.
March 2, 2024
An engaging read exploring a fascinating life. I didn't like how flippant the portraits of Tzu Hsi (the 'Old Buddah') and Wanrong (Empress Elizabeth) were, and I also got frustrated with the incessant intrigues into Pu Yi's bisexuality (as if finding out for sure that he was bisexual was more important than finding out for sure that many of his partners were significantly underage). But, nevertheless, this macho history of the fading Manchu empire kept me turning the pages at good pace, and I did feel like I learned a lot about the 'important' men of the period.
July 18, 2017
This book is an extremely thorough account of both Pu Yi's personal life and the politics surrounding his ever-changing title/position in society. I enjoyed the beginning and the end of the book; these parts discussed Pu Yi as a person, his temperament, the people he interacted with, and the rituals and culture of the time. However, I had a hard time getting through the middle of the book, which extensively described the politics of the time, the wars, war tactics, and major players in political conspiracies and colonialism.
Overall, the book is very informative, but the topics in the middle of the book held less interest for me.
Overall, the book is very informative, but the topics in the middle of the book held less interest for me.
February 7, 2020
Uno dei peggiori libri che abbia mai letto. Questo non è per nulla il modo di fare biografie. Dispersivo, pieno di capitoli inutili su divagazioni di personaggi di contorno o sulla storia dell'estremo oriente. Sono estremamente deluso, le aspettative erano ben altre. L'unica cosa positiva sono le focalizzazioni e le narrazioni di Pu Yi, perché non sfruttarle di più? No, no, non ci siamo per niente. Mi spiace. Un vero peccato
March 19, 2024
This book was a disappointing read for me. I think that the story of Pu Yi the last Emperor of China is so intriguing. However, this book barely tells his story. The story goes off on tangents about China and Japan. I understand that the writer was giving us the history of what was taking place in the world at this time. The problem was that he was giving us too much world history and not enough of the last emperors story.
October 14, 2024
la historia del hombre reformado… no le doy 5 estrellas porque puede que la forma de redacción no haya sido tan cautivadora como esperaba pero realmente la historia de Pu-Yi es increíble, cómo una ideología puede hacerte cambiar por completo todo el sentido de identidad y percepción que tienes sobre ti mismo para actuar acorde a lo que la sociedad que te rodee considere correcto.
increíble la fuerza que tienen los chinos y asiáticos en general, increíble historia, inspiradora definitivamente
increíble la fuerza que tienen los chinos y asiáticos en general, increíble historia, inspiradora definitivamente
May 11, 2017
An interesting read, although somewhat dry. I wish there had been a bit more care taken to the presentation, as the subject matter is exciting indeed.
July 1, 2020
Que livrao. Escrito na mesma época em q foi rodado o filme , ele conta , além da história do p’u-i toda a geopolítica asiática entre guerras e o pós guerra na China . FENOMENAL !
August 31, 2021
cijfer: 9
een must als je China bezoekt en met name naar de Verboden Stad gaat
een must als je China bezoekt en met name naar de Verboden Stad gaat
Read
October 23, 2021Pu Yi, the old Buddha empress, the boxer rebellion. The rise of communist China. Biography of his dynasty. Mao and his great leap forward. The cultural revolution. WW1 and 2 in China...
August 5, 2023
Interesting but very dry and would have benefited from a better overview of the history surrounding Pu Yi and the end of the Qing dynasty
August 25, 2023
Fascinating story about pu-yi's life ! I recommend it.
September 9, 2023
Absolutely fascinating biography of Pu Yi during the most chaotic periods of world history. An absolute must read to anyone interested in Chinese history.
October 6, 2013
De laatst keizer van China gaat over Pu Yi die op drie jarige leeftijd keizer van China wordt. Hij weet niets en wordt geleidt door mensen die alleen in hun eigen belangen voorzien. De keizer leeft in een cocon en weet niet wat er precies gebeurt. Als hij wordt afgezet, wordt hij gevangengenomen. Als hij vrij komt is hij een burger en wordt hij tuinder. Alles is verandert, maar Pu Yi vindt zijn leven zonder de glamour fijner omdat hij zichzelf kan zijn.
Waardering:
Ik geef het drie sterren. Niet omdat het slecht is, maar omdat ik toen ik het las best wel lastig vond om te lezen. Er gebeurt veel. Corruptie is hierin de hoofdmoot en ik kon niet begrijpen dat iemand het zo kon laten gebeuren en zelfs zich zo heeft laten meeslepen. Ik wil graag het boek opnieuw lezen om te kijken hoe ik er nu over zou denken. De sfeer is echter wel goed beschreven en de hoofdpersoon de Keizer die later burger wordt, is wel realistisch, maar dat mag ook wel als je een biografie schrijft.
Over de auteur:
Er zijn weinig sites die over het privé leven van Behr schrijven.
Ik houd het op de globale informatie die ik heb kunnen controleren.
Behr is geboren in 1926 in Parijs. Hij studeerde in Londen, maar stopte met school om het leger in te gaan. Later studeerde hij alsnog af.
Hij werd journalist en buitenlandse correspondent voor diverse nationale en internationale tijdschriften en persbureau's. Hij schreef vooral over de oorlogen en conflicten in Azië, Afrika en het Midden-Oosten. Daarnaast schreef hij over de diverse opstanden in Europa. Hij was in Vietnam tijdens het Tet-offensief en heeft daar zijn schriftelijke bijdrage aan kunnen geven.
Behr heeft voor "De Laatste keizer van China is een kind" de Gutenberg Prijs gewonnen en het boek is verfilmd.
Vaak wordt Edward Samuel Behr verward met de Engelse kok en auteur, Edward Behr. Dit zal dan ook de reden zijn waarom er verschillende steden staan bij de datum van zijn overlijden, namelijk Londen en Parijs. Hier heb ik geen duidelijkheid over kunnen krijgen.
Informatie over Edward Samuel Behr is te vinden op
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
Er zijn verschillende andere sites waar ook over hem wordt geschreven.
Overige boekinformatie:
Uitgeverij: A.W. Bruna & zoon
ISBN: 90.229.5529.X
281 pagina's; Hardcover
Het boek is in 1987 verfilmd door Bernardo Bertolucci met in de hoofdrol John Lone als Henry Pu-Yi. Naast hem speelden ook Joan Chen en Peter O'Toole. De film won diverse prijzen waaronder 9 Oscars in 1988.
Deze film was de eerste met toestemming van de Regering van de republiek China die mocht worden gefilmd op het terrein van de Verboden stad.
Aan de film heeft Henry Pu-Yi indirect bijgedragen middels zijn eigen autobiografie From Emperor to citizen; autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu-Yi(ligt klaar om gelezen te worden).
Pu-Yi zelf is in de jaren zestig overleden aan diverse complicaties van ziekten waaronder kanker. Ook over Pu-Yi zijn er verschillende sites te vinden voor lezers die daar interesse in hebben.
Waardering:
Ik geef het drie sterren. Niet omdat het slecht is, maar omdat ik toen ik het las best wel lastig vond om te lezen. Er gebeurt veel. Corruptie is hierin de hoofdmoot en ik kon niet begrijpen dat iemand het zo kon laten gebeuren en zelfs zich zo heeft laten meeslepen. Ik wil graag het boek opnieuw lezen om te kijken hoe ik er nu over zou denken. De sfeer is echter wel goed beschreven en de hoofdpersoon de Keizer die later burger wordt, is wel realistisch, maar dat mag ook wel als je een biografie schrijft.
Over de auteur:
Er zijn weinig sites die over het privé leven van Behr schrijven.
Ik houd het op de globale informatie die ik heb kunnen controleren.
Behr is geboren in 1926 in Parijs. Hij studeerde in Londen, maar stopte met school om het leger in te gaan. Later studeerde hij alsnog af.
Hij werd journalist en buitenlandse correspondent voor diverse nationale en internationale tijdschriften en persbureau's. Hij schreef vooral over de oorlogen en conflicten in Azië, Afrika en het Midden-Oosten. Daarnaast schreef hij over de diverse opstanden in Europa. Hij was in Vietnam tijdens het Tet-offensief en heeft daar zijn schriftelijke bijdrage aan kunnen geven.
Behr heeft voor "De Laatste keizer van China is een kind" de Gutenberg Prijs gewonnen en het boek is verfilmd.
Vaak wordt Edward Samuel Behr verward met de Engelse kok en auteur, Edward Behr. Dit zal dan ook de reden zijn waarom er verschillende steden staan bij de datum van zijn overlijden, namelijk Londen en Parijs. Hier heb ik geen duidelijkheid over kunnen krijgen.
Informatie over Edward Samuel Behr is te vinden op
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
Er zijn verschillende andere sites waar ook over hem wordt geschreven.
Overige boekinformatie:
Uitgeverij: A.W. Bruna & zoon
ISBN: 90.229.5529.X
281 pagina's; Hardcover
Het boek is in 1987 verfilmd door Bernardo Bertolucci met in de hoofdrol John Lone als Henry Pu-Yi. Naast hem speelden ook Joan Chen en Peter O'Toole. De film won diverse prijzen waaronder 9 Oscars in 1988.
Deze film was de eerste met toestemming van de Regering van de republiek China die mocht worden gefilmd op het terrein van de Verboden stad.
Aan de film heeft Henry Pu-Yi indirect bijgedragen middels zijn eigen autobiografie From Emperor to citizen; autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu-Yi(ligt klaar om gelezen te worden).
Pu-Yi zelf is in de jaren zestig overleden aan diverse complicaties van ziekten waaronder kanker. Ook over Pu-Yi zijn er verschillende sites te vinden voor lezers die daar interesse in hebben.
May 31, 2010
I rarely read a biography. I have a little trouble writing this review. I need to keep remind myself that it is a real story of a man who was the last emperor of China. So I couldn’t criticize the story parts in it.
The book presents the story of the China’s Last Emperor, started when he was a toddler king and ended by his days as a common people. The story was quite interesting, continuous day by day (or years?) seamlessly. But for one without knowledge of China’s history, I lost between china’s communism and republic. I knew a little bit about Japanese’s part but nothing on Russian’s. The author might think that explaining those political parties are not important in this last emperor personal story, or might had assumed that the readers already had them as their background knowledge. Nevertheless, the book is a good read. We could see how the emperor from his top of supremacy had experienced decrease of his power little by little, including his control of his own wealth.
I had resentment to this man at first half. He was not a wise emperor. He was just a spoiled rich kid that was given a power to rule the country. At the end, I had a pity of him. Not only had that he, in fact, dropped from the highest rank of people as a king became a peasant. But also because it was people, or his royal family, that had created ‘him’ at beginning.
Lesson learned: (1) not everybody can be a leader, (2) appointing a toddler as a leader of a big country is a big mistake, and (3) monarchism should be avoided. :D
The book presents the story of the China’s Last Emperor, started when he was a toddler king and ended by his days as a common people. The story was quite interesting, continuous day by day (or years?) seamlessly. But for one without knowledge of China’s history, I lost between china’s communism and republic. I knew a little bit about Japanese’s part but nothing on Russian’s. The author might think that explaining those political parties are not important in this last emperor personal story, or might had assumed that the readers already had them as their background knowledge. Nevertheless, the book is a good read. We could see how the emperor from his top of supremacy had experienced decrease of his power little by little, including his control of his own wealth.
I had resentment to this man at first half. He was not a wise emperor. He was just a spoiled rich kid that was given a power to rule the country. At the end, I had a pity of him. Not only had that he, in fact, dropped from the highest rank of people as a king became a peasant. But also because it was people, or his royal family, that had created ‘him’ at beginning.
Lesson learned: (1) not everybody can be a leader, (2) appointing a toddler as a leader of a big country is a big mistake, and (3) monarchism should be avoided. :D
September 30, 2011
An interesting biography about what was surely one of the most fascinating lives of the twentieth century. Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China, was born into ridiculous privilege and almost worshipped as a child. He was de-throned when China became a republic, became a "puppet" emperor for the Japanese in Manchukuo, was captured by the Soviets at the end of WW2 and then imprisoned and "re-educated" by Chinese Communists under Mao. His story was therefore a history of China - albeit from a very limited point of view.
Unfortunately the book is now becoming pretty dated - referring to Peking not Beijing, the USSR not Russia, and all currencies and amounts referenced were converted to "today's equivalent" so unreliable figures when reading this book twenty years after it was published.
The story of his childhood growing up in the Forbidden City of Peking/Beijing was very interesting, as were the brief chapters of his later years as a prisoner of the Soviets and then Chinese communists. I found the book tougher to read in the middle when it detailed the long years he spent after leaving the Forbidden City and living in the Japanese concession in Tianjin, before he became Emperor of Manchukuo. This part of the book became slow and boring, with so many Chinese names that I found it hard to follow. I'm glad I persevered in the end, as it was an interesting read, particularly for someone like myself who rarely reads biographies or non-fiction works.
The book was written to accompany the epic movie "The Last Emperor" - a movie I'm now inspired to watch.
Unfortunately the book is now becoming pretty dated - referring to Peking not Beijing, the USSR not Russia, and all currencies and amounts referenced were converted to "today's equivalent" so unreliable figures when reading this book twenty years after it was published.
The story of his childhood growing up in the Forbidden City of Peking/Beijing was very interesting, as were the brief chapters of his later years as a prisoner of the Soviets and then Chinese communists. I found the book tougher to read in the middle when it detailed the long years he spent after leaving the Forbidden City and living in the Japanese concession in Tianjin, before he became Emperor of Manchukuo. This part of the book became slow and boring, with so many Chinese names that I found it hard to follow. I'm glad I persevered in the end, as it was an interesting read, particularly for someone like myself who rarely reads biographies or non-fiction works.
The book was written to accompany the epic movie "The Last Emperor" - a movie I'm now inspired to watch.
August 5, 2007
I would give this 2 1/2 stars. I am glad I read it but not sure most people would enjoy it, unless you're really into Chinese history. I really wish I had read it before my China trip! This is a companion novel to the movie The Last Emperor, but it is written more like a history book than like either a novel or a biography. The author basically gave as much inside information about Pu Yi as he could gather from those who had known him, and then filled in the rest of the book with a history of China from 1900 through the 1970s. I was most interested in the stories from the Forbidden City, including learning more about Empress Tzu-hsi (who is the object of the novel Empress Orchid, which I really liked), and then the later years during the Cultural Revolution, when Pu Yi was jailed for 9 years and re-educated to become a "normal" citizen. Fascinating. The middle of the book was much less interesting, when China was going through one civil war after another and when Pu Yi was established by the Japanese as the puppet Emperor of Mancuria. Yawn. It was part of his life that couldn't be skipped but the author gave way to much historical detail. I am looking forward to seeing the movie now, the only "Hollywood" movie ever shot at the Forbidden City. I have a feeling that anyone who isn't crazy about Chinese history would be better off seeing the movie and skipping the book.
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