Waterloo

by Erckmann-Chatrian

1902. Illustrated. Erckmann-Chatrian's (pseudonym of Emile Erckmann and Alexandre Chatrian) stories are distinguished by simplicity and genuine descriptive power, particularly in the battle scenes and in connection with Alsatian peasant life. Waterloo begins: The joy of the people on the return of Louis XVIII, in 1814, was unbounded. It was in the spring, and the hedges, gardens, and orchards were in full bloom. The people had for years suffered so much misery, and had so many times feared being carried off by the conscription never to return, they were so weary of battles, of the captured cannon, of all the glory and the Te Deums, that they wished for nothing but to live in peace and quiet and to rear their families by honest labor. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

Genres: 19th Century

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1865

About the author

Erckmann-Chatrian is a pen name for two writers : Émile Erckmann (Phalsbourg 1822 - Lunéville 1899) and Alexandre Chatrian (Soldatenthal 1826 - Villemomble 1890)

Both Erckmann and Chatrian were born in the département of Moselle, in the Lorraine region in the extreme north-east of France. They specialised in military fiction and ghost stories in a rustic mode, applying to the Vosges mountain range and the Alsace-Lorraine region techniques inspired by story-tellers from the Black Forest. Lifelong friends who first met in the spring of 1847, they finally quarreled during the mid-1880s, after which they did not produce any more stories jointly. During 1890 Chatrian died, and Erckmann wrote a few pieces under his own name.

Many of Erckmann-Chatrian's works were translated into English by Adrian Ross.

Tales of supernatural horror by the duo that are famous in English include "The Wild Huntsman" (tr. 1871), "The Man-Wolf" (tr. 1876) and "The Crab Spider." These stories received praise from the renowned English ghost story writer, M. R. James, as well as H. P. Lovecraft.

Erckmann-Chatrian wrote numerous historical novels, some of which attacked the Second Empire in anti-monarchist terms. Partly as a result of their republicanism, they were praised by Victor Hugo and Émile Zola, and fiercely attacked in the pages of Le Figaro. Gaining popularity from 1859 for their nationalistic, anti-militaristic and anti-German sentiments, they were well-selling authors but had trouble with political censorship throughout their careers. Generally the novels were written by Erckmann, and the plays mostly by Chatrian.

Reviews

[Piero Alvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting novel about Napoleon's 'Hundred Days'. The main character, Joseph, recalls his experience as a conscript in Ligny and Waterloo. At this, Erckmann and Chatrian did a great job portraying the brutal reality of 19th century warfare.

Sadly, most of the story is just filler between the Bourbon restoration (heavily criticized by the authors) and Joseph's conscription to the L'Armée du Nordafter the return of the Emperor.

[Arman · Rating 4 out of 5]

نیمه اول کتاب مشغول توصیف زندگی و دیدگاه مردم معمولی راجب اتفاقات بعد از انقلاب فرانسه و در ادامه بازگشت ناپلئون میشه.شروع خوب ولی آرومی داره نیمه دوم سربازان به سمت واترلو حرکت میکنن و جنگ شروع میشه به نظر من توصیف عالی جنگ از دیدگاه یک سرباز معمولیه و شمارو به فکر فرو میبره
در کل کتاب خوبی بود و اگه به موضوعش علاقه دارید حتما بخونید