Patrice Gueniffey

When it comes to Napoleon Bonaparte there is no shortage of books written about the man. For decades a steady stream of studies about his life and accomplishments have bene produced, and the thriving industry of Napoleonic studies shows no signs of hitting a slump. The sheer volume, though, poses a challenge of assessment: which one to read?

Recently I decided to answer that question for myself. With the help of a friend who is a self-described Napoleon fan I decided to assess which of the major two-volume Napoleon biographies are the best. I decided to focus on these both for the depth of analysis they presumably offer and for the stature in the historical profession possessed by their authors, all of whom are leading scholars of French history, and we started with the recently translated first volume of Patrice Gueniffey's projected two-volume biography of Bonaparte. Gueniffey, who is the director of the Ramond Aron Center for Political Research at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, has written a rich study of Bonaparte that stretches from his Corsican background to just before his establishment of his emperorship. In depth of analysis and in tone it reminds me more than just a little of Michael Burlingame's great two-volume [b:Abraham Lincoln: A Life|3514309|Abraham Lincoln A Life|Michael Burlingame|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349106746s/3514309.jpg|3556003], a work that is the product of enormous depth of study and understanding of its subject. Though generally an admirer of Bonaparte, Gueniffey pulls no punches in his criticisms, and his book is much the better for it, Reading it helped fill in many of the gaps I had in my knowledge about Bonaparte's early years, particularly regarding his relationship with his first wife Josephine, his ascent to power in 1799, and his political achievements in office. In a way, though, I regret having made it our first selection, as after finishing it it's difficult to imagine the other books measuring up to it in terms of detail, insights, and readability.… (meer)