The book "Napoleon" Dimitri Sergejevic Mereshkovski (1866 - 1941), is excellent historical reading, although here history is viewed from the perspective of rather radical ideas. Book (translated from Russian Nikola Nikolajević) follows Napoleon's a dramatic rise - from his childhood in Corsica, his education in France, his astonishing military victories and the adoption of extremely important reforms that he carried out as first consul (1799 -1804) until his controversial proclamation as emperor and, finally, his expulsion from France and his death. At a time that brought another Napoleon film, this book acts as an antidote to the superficiality and failure of said film, if only with a signature Ridley Scott.
In this book, D. S. Mereškovski presented this great French emperor not only as we can meet in history textbooks, but also as he cannot be found in those books. Some critics have resorted to practical reasons to explain such a presentation, which is much more objective, but also more extensive and detailed, especially in the sphere of his character and personality, because some of Napoleon's contemporaries believed that Napoleon to a considerable extent invented absolute tyranny based on the idea of the right of the intellectual elite they impose democratic standards on ordinary people, while in fact the French often implemented the "spirit of the revolution" with the guillotine. In this book, Napoleon's genius is explicitly emphasized, which, viewed from the position of military doctrine, this great military leader really possessed and which many high military officers and even some generals of the time envied him. However, this book also contains examples of his strategic failures and oversights, which resulted in large and at the same time losing campaigns. "Napoleon" is one of D.S. Mereškovski's best and most widely read books, in which he not only impressively and clearly portrays Napoleon's personality in the light in which his contemporaries perceived him, but also clearly and succinctly talks about his native Corsica and France. About great battles, about the Italian island of Elba - the largest of all the beautiful Tuscan islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, only fifty kilometers east of Corsica. It was the famous place of Napoleon's exile from 1814 - 1815. That is why it is said that the island is so beautiful that only Napoleon wanted to leave it as soon as possible. And he left. Rule Louis XVIII In France, it caused constant discontent among the people every day and soon regrets for the glorious years under Napoleon's rule began. Many wanted his return. Napoleon gathered several hundred soldiers and on March 1, 1815, he fled from Elba to the south of France. His return was made possible by the strong support he enjoyed from the people. And the soldiers enthusiastically welcomed the man who gave them a sense of power and pride. Louis XVIII, knowing Napoleon's temper, feared for his life and fled Paris into exile.
The book states that after Napoleon regained power, he first tried to make peace with the English and their allies. But he was late. Before that, his opponents had already decided at the meeting in Vienna to break Napoleon's influence in Europe, and they considered war the only and most effective way to do it. At the end of June, Napoleon mobilized about 130.000 soldiers in Paris, who were to fight against the combined forces, and it seemed that they were all determined not to stop until the final victory. However, on June 18 at Waterloo, south of Brussels, they suffered a disastrous defeat. It was exactly one hundred days after Napoleon returned to power.
After he was defeated a second time, he was stripped of his title and put on a British ship that took him to Saint Helena, a volcanic island in the South Atlantic. That coffin-shaped oceanic island, uninhabited, so to speak, deserted and far from the mainland, got its name from St. Jelena, to the mother Emperor Constantine, and administratively belonged to the British overseas territory. Geographically, it is closer to Africa than to Europe, and life there was extremely difficult, cruel. Napoleon was housed in a dilapidated, dilapidated house and under constant surveillance by British soldiers.
Six years later, on May 5, 1821, Napoleon died. An autopsy revealed changes in the pituitary gland. This is believed to have been the cause of his health and mental problems. Regardless of the military defeat, the changes that swept through Europe in the following decades largely portrayed the Corsican in the light of one of the most influential political figures in history.
The book "Napoleon" by D. S. Mereškovski not only deals with the beginning and end of the life of this French military leader, but also much more than that. It follows the fate of Napoleon from his birth to the greatest peak of his career, in fact, until the tragic end. With its content, it boldly touches on interesting topics and events that are not usually encountered in history textbooks. In this book, the author has made a rich presentation of the great military leader and statesman, the inimitable strength of his spirit as well as his political and military significance not only for France but also for the whole of Europe because Napoleon Bonaparte managed to change the socio-political forever in just fifteen years. maps and even geographical borders of many countries in that part of the world. This book is very close to the historical truth, which is why it has been widely sought after and read since its publication. It has been awarded multiple times, and experts have declared it the first major interpretation of the eternal theme of Napoleon's already two-hundred-year influence on world history.
The book "Napoleon" is an inspired panegyric on Napoleon in which Mereškovski created a portrait of Napoleon in an essayistic manner, quoting a large number of quotes from various sources. With the beauty of style and storytelling, it evokes the authentic environment in which Napoleon Bonaparte grew up, matured and fought his decisive life battles. In this book, the truth is revealed that Napoleon believed that many important things could be solved by war, but that war did not have the ultimate meaning of political action for him, which is why its political aspect has a special place in this work.
Napoleon Bonaparte was sent to military school at the age of nine, and quickly rose to the highest ranks in the French army. But a brilliant military career was not enough. He soon took over all the power in France - and then set out to conquer all of Europe.
This book is considered worldwide to be the best and most detailed biography of Napoleon so far and is the winner of prestigious awards: "J. Russel Major” of the American Historical Association (American Historical Association) as the best book in the field of French history for 2004, as well as the awards for the best foreign book of the Napoléon Foundation (La Fondation Napoléon).
In the book "Napoleon", the author also talks about the origin of Napoleon Bonaparte, his education, military successes, duels with England, abdication, imprisonment on Elba, military defeat in the Battle of Waterloo, the second abdication, and then about his imprisonment on Saint Helena and death. The book says he was born in Corsica to a relatively modest family of Italian descent a few months after the Kingdom of France annexed the island. He is the child of a Corsican nobleman Carla Maris di Buonaparte and mothers Maria Letizia Ramolino who was said to be the most beautiful Corsican, despite the fact that women from that island were considered the most beautiful women in Europe.
At the age of 26, he began his first military campaign against Austria and the Italian kings, where, winning almost every battle, he captured the Apennine peninsula and established "sister republics" with local support. After the military invasion of Egypt in 1798, Napoleon began his great conquest campaigns, which are mostly discussed in the book "Napoleon".
Dmitrii Sergeevich Mereshkovsky (1865-1941) was a Russian writer, poet, religious thinker, playwright, translator, distinguished historian and influential literary critic. He is one of the most prominent representatives of the wonderful Silver Age in Russian literature, he is known as one of the founders of Russian symbolism, the originator of a new genre of historiosophical novel for Russian literature, one of the pioneers of the religious-philosophical approach to the analysis of literature... His philosophical ideas and often radical political views , caused harsh reactions, but even his opponents recognized him as an outstanding writer, genre innovator and one of the most original thinkers of the 20th century. Together with his wife, a great poet Zinaido Hippius, he was twice forced into political exile. During his second exile (1918-1941) he continued to publish novels and gained recognition as a critic of the Soviet Union.
He was one of the most controversial, but also the most intriguing writers of his time. On one occasion, he said about himself that he was not appreciated in his homeland, but in Europe they were, but that he remained misunderstood on both sides.
His life and work caused conflicting views, both among ordinary readers, and criticism. This writer considered communism and fascism to be the greatest evil forces in this world and hoped that they would destroy each other. Alexander I Karađorđević awarded Mereškovski (in 1925) with the Order of Saint Sava of the First Order for his contribution to European culture as a whole. At the beginning of the thirties of the last century Benito Mussolini financed the printing of his book about To Dante, and after Hitler's invasion of Russia, Mereshkovsky's voice was heard on Nazi radio, then this Russian writer compared Hitler to Joan of Arc. Mereškovski was nominated nine times for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
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