Memoirs Of The Count De Grammont by Count Anthony Hamilton

by Anthony Hamilton

This famous work from the 'French' classical author (although by birth a foreigner) details life in the court of Charles II. Philibert, Comte de Grammont (1621-1707), the subject of the famous Memoirs, was of a noble Gascon family, said to have been of Basque origin. He was eighty years old when he supplied his brother-in-law, Antoine Hamilton, with the materials for his Memoires. They were said to have been written at Grammont's dictation, but it is very evident that Hamilton's share is the most considerable. Moreover Grammont, though he had a reputation for wit, was no writer, and there is no reason to suppose that he was capable of producing a work which remains a masterpiece of style and witty portraiture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Research, France, 17th Century

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1713

About the author

AKA Antoine Hamilton, 1645/6–1719, Irish-Scottish soldier and courtier

Reviews

[JokerSmiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Memoirs of Count Grammont is still genuinely funny, there are lines that made me laugh out loud even though this was written in 1713, and Hamilton’s wit still lands beautifully. The lively anecdotes and portraits of courtly life give a vivid, charming snapshot of an era packed with scandal, intrigue, and ridiculous aristocrats.

That said, I couldn’t help feeling a bit let down by how incomplete the text I read felt. The Count himself hardly appears compared to how much of the English sections focus on everyone but him, and the narrative sometimes wanders into tangents about other characters that dilute the memoir’s impact.

Still worth reading if you are in a courtly classics reading spree and enjoy clever, historical humor! Just be prepared for a book that sometimes feels more like a series of more or less delightful gossipy vignettes than a fully cohesive memoir.

[Anabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 étoiles

Très drôle
Mais souvent très cruel aussi (passage de l'idéalisation au réalisme)
Mise à distance de l'histoire pour valoriser le rien, le mondain
Subversion de la place du "je" (qui n'est ni acteur ni même témoin la plupart du temps)

[Chiara Giacobelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Ciò che più è emozionante nella natura di queste memorie è, a mio parere, la possibilità di leggere qualcosa che vide la sua nascita molti secoli addietro e passò dalle mani di nobili, intellettuali, cortigiani dell’epoca. Oggi come allora ci ritroviamo catapultati nel mondo incantato – ma non certo perfetto – dei re e delle regine più celebri della storia, non già attraverso la rivisitazione di uno scrittore contemporaneo, bensì grazie agli occhi e alla penna di qualcuno che era là, a vivere quell’era straordinaria in prima persona. È soprattutto per questo motivo che ne consigliamo la lettura: al di là della veridicità o meno dei fatti, spesso alterata, è raro poter scorrere pagine pubblicate per la prima volta nel 1713 e poi riapparse in una graziosa edizione moderna, unendo così il fascino dell’antico al gusto minimalista del presente".

Leggi la recensione completa qui:
https://www.affaritaliani.it/culturas...

[Mick Maye · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptional book, well written and the character of the topic is immensely intersting. Highly recommend.

[Bettie]

nutty nuut

[Azeddine Bousyf]

mémoires du comte de Gramont