This is the Paris you never knew. From the Revolution to the present, Graham Robb has distilled a series of astonishing true narratives, all stranger than fiction. A young artillery lieutenant, strolling through the Palais-Royal, observes disapprovingly the courtesans plying their trade. A particular woman catches his eye; nature takes its course. Later that night, Napoleon Bonaparte writes a meticulous account of his first sexual encounter. An aristocratic woman, fleeing the Louvre, takes a wrong turn and loses her way in the nameless streets of the Left Bank. For want of a map-there were no reliable ones at the time-Marie-Antoinette will go to the guillotine. Baudelaire, Baron Haussmann, the real-life Mimi of La Bohème, Proust, Charles de Gaulle (who is suspected of having faked an assassination attempt on himself in Notre Dame)-these and many more make up Robb's cast of characters. The result is a resonant, intimate history with the power of a great novel.
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From the Back Cover:
Praise for The Discovery of France by Graham Robb:
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
A Slate Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Winner of the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize
“Rid your mind of the idea―suggested by the title―that this is an ordinary book.”―Literary Review
“An exhilarating account of how the geographical entity that has become ‘France’ emerged out of the jumbled mosaic of its unconnected parts.”―The Independent
“Brilliant. Robb, who writes beautifully, . . . has accomplished quite a feat. He has reintroduced France to itself.”―New York Times
“Scintillating and resourceful.”―Harper’s
“For his meticulous research, [Robb] deserves a standing ovation . . . to paraphrase Proust, this is a priceless glimpse into history.”―Seattle Times
About the Author:
Graham Robb is the award-winning author of The Discovery of France and Strangers: Homosexual Love in the Nineteenth Century.
Simon Vance, a former BBC Radio presenter and newsreader, is a full-time actor who has appeared on both stage and television. He has recorded over eight hundred audiobooks and has earned five coveted Audie Awards, and he has won fifty-seven Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, which has named him a Golden Voice.
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- PublisherPicador
- Publication date2010
- ISBN 10 0330452444
- ISBN 13 9780330452441
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages320
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