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As author Adam Zamoyski wrote in the Foreword, his goal in writing this book “was not to justify or condemn, but to piece together the fragments of the life of the man born under the name Napoleon Bonaparte; and to examine how he became ‘Napoléon’ and achieved his accomplishments, as well as why he lost everything.”
To accomplish this, Adam Zamoyski consulted a vast amount of material, ranging from archives in government agencies and national libraries of many countries to published works and numerous historical studies. He particularly focused on many credible primary sources, carefully studying the memoirs of individuals such as Bourrienne, Fouché, and Barras (who were close associates of, or contemporary politicians of, Napoleon), and many others.
With the neutrality befitting a historian and meticulous research, he eliminated documents that, while potentially well-known, were fragmented and whose accuracy could not be verified. Therefore, the portrait of Napoleon that Adam Zamoyski presents to readers ultimately consists of authentic stories and images, stripped of all fantastical details or subjective, emotional biases.
The book, comprising 44 chapters, constructs a complete biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, beginning from his birth on the island of Corsica, tracing his development and rise to power, until his death on the island of St. Helena. The author devotes a considerable portion to the formative years of Napoleon's life, hoping to explain the unusual trajectory of his existence – the life of a man who remains famous and controversial in history for centuries to come.
The bookNapoleon BonapartePublished by Dong A Books, this 916-page book includes an appendix of 36 images depicting Napoleon's life through paintings by contemporary artists, including portraits of Napoleon, portraits of his relatives and related figures, several landmarks, events (such as the Tuileries Palace with the Carrousel Arch, or Napoleon's Coronation Ceremony…), and other images.
About the author
Adam Zamoyski (1949) is a British historian from a family of former Polish nobility. He graduated in History and Modern Languages from The Queen's College and is fluent in five languages: English, Polish, French, Italian, and Russian. He currently teaches in the UK, the US, and Europe.
Adam Zamoyski has written numerous books on Polish and European history in general, and is also passionately researching the biographies of notable figures such as the composer Chopin, the pianist Paderewski, and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
He paid particular attention to the French Emperor and wrote three monumental works: Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon: A Life), 1812 - Napoleon's Deadly Campaign in Moscow, and The Peace Ceremony - The Fall of the Napoleonic Empire and the Congress of Vienna.
His works have been translated into most European languages, as well as Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and others. He is also a regular contributor to numerous newspapers and magazines such as The Times (London), Times Literary Supplement, and The Guardian.
