1815: The Return of Napoleon

by Paul Britten Austin

-- A superb narrative of Napoleon's return to France in 1815
-- The first of two volumes on Napoleon in 1815
-- A brilliant survey of French attitudes to NapoleonThis unique and atmospheric volume presents the dramatic story of Napoleon's escape from Elba and march on Paris in the words of eyewitnesses and participants. Drawing on hundreds of first-hand accounts by Napoleon's supporters and opponents, Paul Britten Austin recreates the drama of those tumultuous days of the Spring of 1815 and throws light on the mixed French response to the unexpected return of their former emperor. 1815: The Return of Napoleon recreates, in the words of those present, Napoleon's dramatic landing at Antibes in the south of France, the first heady days of his arrival after almost a year of exile, his almost miraculous march across France, his arrival in Paris, and the coup which led to the fall of the Bourbons.

Genres: History

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

Paul Britten Austin was an English author, translator, broadcaster, administrator, and scholar of Swedish literature. He is known for his translations of and books on the Swedish musician, singer and poet Carl Michael Bellman.

Britten Austin was born in Dawlish, South Devon, England. His parents were the writers Frederick B.A. King and Mildred King. He was educated at Winchester College. In 1951, he married novelist Margareta Bergman, sister of film director Ingmar Bergman; they lived in Stockholm, where he worked for Radio Sweden as head of English-language broadcasting. He directed the Swedish Tourist Office in London between 1957 and 1968, at the same time working on his book on Carl Michael Bellman.

Britten Austin was employed by Swedish Radio's international investment program from 1948 to 1957 and at the Swedish Tourist Association's office in London from 1957 to 1968.

Alongside his career and his other writings, Britten Austin spent 25 years working on his detailed three-volume eyewitness-only account of Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812. He explains he is "profoundly skeptical of historians." He felt "the more readable they are, the less historically reliable", so instead he chose "to invent nothing, hardly even a phrase" but instead to "resurrect them - in their own words". Britten Austin takes "160 people of the many thousands who made up the Grande Armée". "I thought, and without any impertinent comments of my own (after all I wasn't there), I might be able to reconstitute, as authentically as ever can be done, six months of vanished time." To achieve this "Naturally I have had to take my thousands of vivid fragments, longer or shorter, snip them and put them together in what I came to think of as a 'marching order', and generally help the reader not to go astray." The result is a uniquely detailed report from the front.

Reviews

[Mitchell Naleid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Historical step by step documentation of Napoleon's return to power. Something I should like, but it's really like somebody running for office unopposed. The British writing style was hard to read and I couldn't keep track of who's who.

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Paul Britten Austin's magnificent 1812 trilogy. So when I eventually discovered another Napoleonic book by him, I snapped it up on sight. As with his 1812 works, he utilises what he refers to as his 'word film' technique, allowing the words of contemporary sources to tell much of the story. The result is a tremendously vivid and and compelling tale.

Many of the characters who appear in his 1812 work are here again, as well as many who weren't. And as often as not the pithiest observations come from the lesser known players, as when Larreguy de Civrieux, someone I'd never knowingly encountered before in my fairly wide Napoleonic reading, describes Napoleon as 'that genius, angel or demon, he was dominating us all.'

There are so many books on Napoleon and the era that bears his name. Some cover his whole life, or particular aspects, periods, battles or campaigns. This one deals with the 'crazy enterprise' that was Bonaparte's return to Paris, from his exile in Elba. In his book on the Waterloo campaign the Swiss military theorist Jomini makes a point also made here, saying that really Napoleon was constrained by developing events to try this last gamble.

Once Bonaparte had returned to France - and things didn't get off to the smoothest of starts - the Congress of Vienna (in words attributed to that arch-schemer, Talleyrand) declared that he was 'placed outside all civil and social relations', and that he'd 'delivered himself to the public vengeance.' I.e. the Powers were giving carte blanche for any royalist nutter to assassinate him! PBA observes drily 'Never before have all the powers of Europe declared war on one man.'

It's a remarkable and exciting story, and yet another testimony to both Napoleon's extraordinary charisma and energy, as in only twenty days he transforms his situation, and that of all Europe: setting out in command of only about 1,000 loyal troops, he swiftly succeeds in becoming, albeit only briefly on this final occasion, the master of a nation of (at his own reckoning) 28 million, fielding a large and enthusiastic army.

Those who are interested in this subject are quite likely to know roughly what happened, even if only in broad terms. For any who don't, I won't spoil their potential discovery. But reading this book adds a lot of fascinating detail, and really brings these momentous days to life with great verve. It's given me a strong desire to traverse the Route Napoleon myself! I had hoped I might do so in 2015, 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo. But it didn't happen (we did, however, get to the Waterloo bicentennial).

My only complaint in relation to Paul Britten Austin's superb Napoleonic history books is that there are not lots more of them.

[Philip · Rating 1 out of 5]

God what a bore.

Drone, drone, drone. This non-entity said this, this nobody said that and Napoleon's bum wiper wrote that. What a yawn.

Dry, dull and tedious accoint of the Emperor's journey from Elba to Paris. Boring beyond belief adding nothing particularly new to the Napoleonic canon. No exciting battles.

This was a bog book. So boring I gave up on it half way through.

The piccies are good though.