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A Distant Thunder: Intimate Recollections of the Kaiser's Court
A court insider's prophetic memoir of pre-World War I Germany.
From 1902 through 1909 Topham served as English governess to Princess Victoria Louise, the only daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II. In this graceful compilation of her three books about her experiences in the German royal household published from 1914-1926, she has little to say about her young charge but presents an animated picture of the Kaiser, from his crushing macho handshake, his incongruous military getup worn even on picnics, his intense jealousy of England, his bellicose speeches and glorification of war, to his boast that he and his guests had killed more than 1600 heads? of game during a three-day-hunt. Despite the jolly badinage between them (he called her the British Dreadnought because of her tart tongue), the emperor and the middle-aged governess did not take to each other. Topham's remarks about the Germans in general are scathing; she desribes their "nauseous" sentimentality, coarseness, brutality, jingoism and blind adoration of their leaders in detail. Her reminiscences, as edited by Crisp, publisher of New Chapter Press, convey a vivid series of pictures of daily life in the Prussian court before the Great War, with ominous warnings of the approaching storm. Photos.
From 1902 through 1909 Topham served as English governess to Princess Victoria Louise, the only daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II. In this graceful compilation of her three books about her experiences in the German royal household published from 1914-1926, she has little to say about her young charge but presents an animated picture of the Kaiser, from his crushing macho handshake, his incongruous military getup worn even on picnics, his intense jealousy of England, his bellicose speeches and glorification of war, to his boast that he and his guests had killed more than 1600 heads? of game during a three-day-hunt. Despite the jolly badinage between them (he called her the British Dreadnought because of her tart tongue), the emperor and the middle-aged governess did not take to each other. Topham's remarks about the Germans in general are scathing; she desribes their "nauseous" sentimentality, coarseness, brutality, jingoism and blind adoration of their leaders in detail. Her reminiscences, as edited by Crisp, publisher of New Chapter Press, convey a vivid series of pictures of daily life in the Prussian court before the Great War, with ominous warnings of the approaching storm. Photos.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1914
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 23, 2017
I always finish these kinds of books feeling wistful and a little sad that the people I've come to know who walked and breathed through the pages are dead and buried and (mostly) unknown and forgotten. I love history, it fascinates me, and detailed glimpses like this one are some of my favorite books to stumble upon.
February 6, 2012
Very interesting. There really are some glipses as to how the Nazis came to power in such an educated society. Very nice look at Wilhelm's family life, too.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews