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24th out of 101 books
—
105 voters
Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman
by
Stefan Zweig,
Eden Paul , Cedar Paul
Life at the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette has long captivated readers, drawn by accounts of the intrigues and pageantry that came to such a sudden and unexpected end. Stefan Zweig's Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman is a dramatic account of the guillotine's most famous victim, from the time when as a fourteen-year-old she took Versailles by storm...more
Paperback, 496 pages
Published
July 8th 2002
by Grove Press
(first published 1932)
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Il taglio è fortemente narrativo. Più che una biografia sembra di leggere il diario della regina delle brioches (per me, sin da quando mi sono imbattuta in lei per la prima volta, altro non è stata). Al meno sino ad ora si percepisce una sottile vena agiografica; attitudine coraggiosa essendo questa sovrana una delle figure storicamente più sgradite.
Molto significativi gli spaccati sull'alta politica del periodo, più "ad personam" di quanto un moderno non addetto ai lavori possa immaginare. Feno...more
I've always steered clear of biographies on the premise that 400+ pages about any one person must be overkill. My dad strongly recommended this one, though, and I thought I'd give it a try. Much to my (pleasant) surprise, this book kept me interested on every page and through every chapter. Marie Antoinette's life history and the context both of her marriage to Louis XVI and the French Revolution are fascinating. It's not light reading, but it's certainly worth the effort. I really enjoyed it.
This book was a very slow read BUT very interesing! Mr. Zweig (an Austrian, like Marie Antoinette) wrote this book in the 40's using data from scores of letters (among other historical documents). I read this book a few years after Marie Antoinette, The Journey, and I learned a great deal more about the life of Marie Antoinette from it! Zweig goes into great detail about many historical events involving the last Queen of France - from the extravagance of her early years to the sparse humiliating...more
A recent proliferation of novels has romanticized the image of Marie Antoinette. Writers have focused on the wide-eye innocence of her childhood, her early days as Queen and, in general, have glamorized her person. Surrounded by the veil of myths, touched by the force of a very real drama, Marie Antoinette remains the most popular queen of France and perhaps even Europe. Zweig’s biography doesn’t romanticize or glamorize Marie Antoinette. In fact, he states clearly in the Introduction that Marie...more
I've always been interested in History, and when Marie-Antoinette was the figure rousing my curiosity I was glad to find this book.
Even if its rhythm isn't steady from the beginning to the end, it was a very nice and, above all, interesting reading.
Marie-Antoinette wasn't only an important figure of royalty, she was also a woman with her weaknesses and strengths, qualities and flaws. Albeit the rhythm was slow I read it quite quickly, entirely fascinated by her story, not because her life was w...more
Even if its rhythm isn't steady from the beginning to the end, it was a very nice and, above all, interesting reading.
Marie-Antoinette wasn't only an important figure of royalty, she was also a woman with her weaknesses and strengths, qualities and flaws. Albeit the rhythm was slow I read it quite quickly, entirely fascinated by her story, not because her life was w...more
Si je devais noter le travail de l'auteur, le plaisir que j'ai eu à lire cette excellente biographie, j'aurais donné 5 étoiles, mais je ne peux m'empêcher de noter au passage l'objet même du livre, cette Marie Antoinette, je donne 4 étoiles parce que cette femme ordinaire au destin si extraordinaire ne me semble pas grande par son âme, elle a payé de sa tête les crimes qu'elle a commis contre la "République" naissante, elle a payé pour ses années de pures folies, excès et gaspillages, elle a pay...more
It's an entertaining biography of Marie Antoinette. Once you start reading, it's hard to put it down. It's also a way of learning a little bit of history havinhg fun. The author catches the reader attention from the first to the last page. It also gave me the chance of appreciating and understanding some places in France, such as Versalles and La Conciergerie.
In history she is considered frivolous. The book gives a chance of sharing her maturing process through her suffering, especially when her...more
In history she is considered frivolous. The book gives a chance of sharing her maturing process through her suffering, especially when her...more
It is a very good book to read about the French Revolution and Marie-Antoinette's life. Many things are addressed as are the letters between her and Count Fersen. What I don't like is that he is determined from the beginning to see her as a lesser and minor character. Many things are historically incorrect, as the thing with her having to leave everything Austrian behind in the tent before entering France. It is proven today that this never happened.
But nonetheless it is nice to read and perhaps...more
But nonetheless it is nice to read and perhaps...more
Desconstrói o mito de Maria Antonieta, a mártir dos católicos e a rainha do que comam brioches, e a apresenta como uma pessoa medíocre. Odiada como um símbolo, por um povo que não podia odiar um rei, nem mesmo um que por vinte anos usou a coroa da França sem orgulho, honra ou dignidade, como diz o autor.
A Maria Antonieta de Zweig é humana: uma pessoa medíocre, comum, que é colocada em no ponto mais alto de uma monarquia.
Ela gasta terrivelmente, é verdade, e Zweig nos apresenta o Trianon, Ferzen...more
A Maria Antonieta de Zweig é humana: uma pessoa medíocre, comum, que é colocada em no ponto mais alto de uma monarquia.
Ela gasta terrivelmente, é verdade, e Zweig nos apresenta o Trianon, Ferzen...more
Zweig was the first writer to have access to many confidential documents, letters, etc... in Austria. His biography of Marie Antoinette is really astonishing. How she rose from a relatively spoiled and not very smart young woman to the extremely courageous deposed queen at the very end is just incredible. He does not sugarcoat things and this portrait is not completely positive. It is probably one of the very best accounts of an extraordinary life.
My other favorite Zweig book. If you think of Marie Antoinette as Kirsten Dunst in Sofia Coppola's remake, read this and it will change your mind. Yes, she was a flibbertigibbet, but she was the product of her times. And after her imprisonment, she matured and demonstrated that true nobility has nothing to do with bloodlines, it has to do with spirit. I cried at the end (and yes, I knew how it was going to turn out beforehand.)
Jun 05, 2008
Ricardo
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Gabriel
Recommended to Ricardo by:
estaba en casa
Cursaba segundo año del secundario cuando leí esta gran obra. Por mi cabeza adolescente desfilaron el esplendor rococo y la furia de la revolución. Lo volví a leer en ocasión de mi viaje a Europa 2005, en el poco tiempo que me dejaron los trenes, palacios y jardines qque atravezabamos. La narración de Zweig es casi cinematográfica, abundante en historias que, como cajas chinas, se van abriendo unas a otras. La vida de la última reina francesa está contada en clave psicológica, y cada uno de sus...more
Surprisingly interesting book about how MA was actually representative, not an aberrant fiend. Not because of her virtue as mother or ingenue (as in the Coppola film, many proto-feminist accounts of the time), but because she was MEDIOCRE. This is an angle Zweig actually takes from Marx's 18th Brumaire, about history determining deestiny. This bio departs from Zweig's oft-used "I heard this story while on a ship bound for a long journey and met a yarn-telling stranger"-type narration, and goes o...more
Since reading this book I have looked more into biographies. Unfortunately I have yet to find one even close to as good as this. It really opened my eyes about Marie Antoinette. Until reading this book I was completely ignorant of that poor girl, and really she was a girl, bound by duty. I can't imagine doing any differently than she at the young age of *13-early twenties*!!! Really!
This book is an open door into History,where not only Marie-Antoinette but Versailles comes alive.
Many stories, biographies have been written about Marie-Antoinette queen of France, but only this book gives a real account about her persona and the society she's been put into.
In my opinion, one of Stefan Zweig masterpieces.
Many stories, biographies have been written about Marie-Antoinette queen of France, but only this book gives a real account about her persona and the society she's been put into.
In my opinion, one of Stefan Zweig masterpieces.
Guau. No puedo emitir otro sonidillo. El autor hila con maestría la transformación y carácter de esta mujer, apenas profundizada en la historia que estudiamos la ciudadanía media.
Es un libro largo, escrito al detalle y profusamente documentado que se enriquece con la mirada hábil y limpia del autor, dándole vida a un personaje tan muerto como María Antonieta.
Sin duda recomendable si te gustan los viajes en el tiempo y hacia los lugares recónditos de las individualidades.. porque María Antoniet...more
Es un libro largo, escrito al detalle y profusamente documentado que se enriquece con la mirada hábil y limpia del autor, dándole vida a un personaje tan muerto como María Antonieta.
Sin duda recomendable si te gustan los viajes en el tiempo y hacia los lugares recónditos de las individualidades.. porque María Antoniet...more
Zweig's biography is good, but it's dated--written in the first half of the 20th century, it lacks the scholarship that current biographies have, obviously. But it's good background information.
Maybe one of the beste boks I ever read. Although I expected it to be partly boring because of its lenght, it captivated me form the first to the last page.
I really admire the style of Stefan Zweig and the mixture of the historical review and his kind of commenting Marie Antoinettes behaviour is stunning. Okay, I have to tell you that the first 100 pages were a bit hard for me because Zweig is a bit repetitive about the young age of Marie Antoinettes marriage and her childish character, but after having overcome this barrier this book was constantly in my mind. I learned a lot about rococo and French Revolution and I really liked Zweigs conclusion...more
One of the most captivating, enchanting, elegantly written and historically correct biography I have read. I would just sit and read this book for hours non stop.
Excelente biografia sob o ponto de vista histórico e psicológico. Tem a capacidade de despertar diversos sentimentos antagónicos em relação a Maria Antonieta, a última rainha de França
My first book about Queen Marie Antoinette, which made me fell in love instantly to the Queen.
Jul 26, 2011
Susann
added it
Easy readable for a non-fictional book. Would have been of help to remember more about the course of events during the French revolution, but that would have been too much for this 500-pager. So, I might do some further reading here...
Absolutely interesting and complete! Love to learn about wonderful Marie-Antoinette!
I read this in 1985 and plan on reading it again.
One of the books I got at that great yard sale with my Grandma:)
Another view about historical times
Opposing views of Marie Antoinette
génialissime
excellent
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Stefan Zweig was one of the world's most famous writers during the 1920s and 1930s, especially in the U.S., South America and Europe. He produced novels, plays, biographies and journalist pieces. Among his most famous works are Beware of Pity, Letter from and Unknown Woman and Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles. He and his second wife committed suicide in 1942.
Zweig studied in Austria, France,...more
More about Stefan Zweig...
Zweig studied in Austria, France,...more
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I just read "Spirit Catches you and then you fall down" by Anne Faidman. It's very good. I think that you would like it.
I hope all is well.
I...more
22. August, 17:08 Uhr