[A Sip of Books] Revisiting Napoleon, Who Is He?

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

This is a biography of Napoleon. The author, a master of historical narration and a special member of the Napoleon Institute, revives the life of the great figure Napoleon with a balanced perspective through sharp historical insight and a vast narrative scale. Andrew Roberts analyzed over 33,000 existing letters of Napoleon found in 69 archives across 15 countries to write this book. By visiting 53 battlefields, he vividly reconstructed Napoleon's genius military strategies and tactics as if being on site. How did the rustic Corsican end the chaos after the French Revolution and establish a new constitution? How was he able to conquer most of Europe and spread the legacy of the revolution throughout the continent? Why did he crown himself emperor, and why did he fall from the highest position? Why is Napoleon an important figure in the past, present, and future? The vast narrative describes the life of the giant Napoleon.

“The most important ability a general must have is to read the hearts of soldiers and earn their trust. Soldiers are not machines made to move; they are rational beings who require leadership.”_p.152

“Victory and downfall are separated by just one step. The decisive moments in the most critical times were always trivial.”_p.196

“My true glory does not lie in winning 40 battles. My Civil Code is indestructible by anything and will live forever.”_p.426

State Council meetings sometimes lasted from 8 to 10 hours, and according to Chaptal’s recollection, Napoleon “was the person who spoke the most and exerted the most mental energy. Even after finishing the State Council meeting, he continued with other meetings on different topics with others. His mind seemed as if it never felt fatigue.”_p.443

If Emperor Napoleon had truly been a dictator, uprisings might have occurred immediately after he suffered disgrace. Especially in regions of Europe that endured his rule the longest, uprisings would have taken place, but no such cases can be found. While eastern Prussia and Silesia, which France never occupied, revolted in 1813, other Prussian regions such as Berlin and Brandenburg, occupied since 1806, remained quiet._p.949

In many respects, Napoleon was the greatest and last enlightened authoritarian of 18th-century Europe who introduced rationalism into governance and improved the lives of his subjects. Goethe said this: Napoleon “always followed the teachings of reason... He was always in an enlightened state.” Napoleon was an enlightened activist on horseback._p.1187

Napoleon | Written by Andrew Roberts | Translated by Han Eun-kyung & Jo Haeng-bok | Kim Young-sa | 1372 pages | 49,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.