What do you think?
Rate this book
The Memoirs of Chateaubriand
The life of Chateaubriand spans two ages and two continents. Born in 1768 he fought for Louis XVI after the revolution of 1789 and died in the revolutionary year of 1848. His travels took him to America, where he lived with the Iroquois, to England, Italy, and elsewhere. From being a penniless exile he became a successful writer, a noted lover, a famous diplomat, and a bellicose foreign minister. His ‘Memoirs’ are those of a man who not only witnessed history but help to make it; above all they are the record of an astonishingly crowded life and the self portrait of a complex and fascinating egoist.
432 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2015
10 people want to read
About the author
François-René de Chateaubriand
2,455 books283 followersFrançois-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand was a French writer, politician and diplomat. He is considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature.
He has also been mistakenly given the forename François-Auguste in an 1811 edition, but signed all his worked as just Chateaubriand or M. le vicomte de Chateaubriand.
He has also been mistakenly given the forename François-Auguste in an 1811 edition, but signed all his worked as just Chateaubriand or M. le vicomte de Chateaubriand.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 30, 2025
Francois….i dare say you charmed me.
What a book, and I mean that by the way. Charting his life from pre-Rev France, America post-independence, meeting Indigenous Americans, back to France for the revolution (including the terror, which sounded shite fwiw), and into a slew of mad jobs….
I’m talking ambassador to England; I’m talking bone identifier for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette; I’m talking Poet; I’m talking Minister for Foreign Affairs; an absolute gigachad when it comes to wig-based jobs - his LinkedIn would be proper sick by todays standards.
Some of the most interesting stuff related to Napoleon’s time and death on St Helena, and how Chateaubriand weaved in his own philosophies on life, legacy and loneliness. I also greatly enjoyed the fact that he was a royalist throughout the entire revolution, and didn’t lose his head because he could write well and the revolutionaries enjoyed his commitment to free speech.
There was also some brutally beautiful writing in there, particularly around the death of his sister - I’m talking goosebumps on the tube; yeah, I said it - and his final sign off really warmed me up inside (much like a shot of whisky or an electric blanket in the early December sort of period).
Get it read, I’d say.
What a book, and I mean that by the way. Charting his life from pre-Rev France, America post-independence, meeting Indigenous Americans, back to France for the revolution (including the terror, which sounded shite fwiw), and into a slew of mad jobs….
I’m talking ambassador to England; I’m talking bone identifier for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette; I’m talking Poet; I’m talking Minister for Foreign Affairs; an absolute gigachad when it comes to wig-based jobs - his LinkedIn would be proper sick by todays standards.
Some of the most interesting stuff related to Napoleon’s time and death on St Helena, and how Chateaubriand weaved in his own philosophies on life, legacy and loneliness. I also greatly enjoyed the fact that he was a royalist throughout the entire revolution, and didn’t lose his head because he could write well and the revolutionaries enjoyed his commitment to free speech.
There was also some brutally beautiful writing in there, particularly around the death of his sister - I’m talking goosebumps on the tube; yeah, I said it - and his final sign off really warmed me up inside (much like a shot of whisky or an electric blanket in the early December sort of period).
Get it read, I’d say.
Displaying 1 of 1 review