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Philip G. Dwyer
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Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power Kindle Edition

by Philip Dwyer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
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In this second volume of Philip Dwyer’s authoritative biography on one of history’s most enthralling leaders, Napoleon, now 30, takes his position as head of the French state after the 1799 coup. Dwyer explores the young leader’s reign, complete with mistakes, wrong turns, and pitfalls, and reveals the great lengths to which Napoleon goes in the effort to fashion his image as legitimate and patriarchal ruler of the new nation. Concealing his defeats, exaggerating his victories, never hesitating to blame others for his own failings, Napoleon is ruthless in his ambition for power. Following Napoleon from Paris to his successful campaigns in Italy and Austria, to the disastrous invasion of Russia, and finally to the war against the Sixth Coalition that would end his reign in Europe, the book looks not only at these events but at the character of the man behind them. Dwyer reveals Napoleon’s darker sides—his brooding obsessions and propensity for violence—as well as his passionate nature: his loves, his ability to inspire, and his capacity for realizing his visionary ideas. In an insightful analysis of Napoleon as one of the first truly modern politicians, the author discusses how the persuasive and forward-thinking leader skillfully fashioned the image of himself that persists in legends that surround him to this day.
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  1. Print length
    817 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Yale University Press
  5. Publication date
    November 26, 2013
  6. File size
    19772 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A wonderful read that will offer fresh insights to even the most hardened Napoleonic veteran: I only wish that I had written this book.”—Charles Esdaile, author of Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803-1815 (Charles Esdaile)

“This is the book . . . stunning and memorable, reading like an insider’s account.”—Douglas Wilson, Books and Culture (Douglas Wilson Books and Culture)

“Clear-eyed . . . Dwyer makes Napoleon familiar to most of us by building his narrative around expertly sketched flaws and foibles.”—Denis Boyles, Claremont Review of Books (Denis Boyles Claremont Review of Books)

About the Author

Philip Dwyer is professor of history and director of the Centre for the History of Violence at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GGSG3W4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (November 26, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 26, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 19772 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 817 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 26 ratings

About the author

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Philip G. Dwyer

Philip G. Dwyer
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Philip Dwyer was born in Perth, Australia, and went on to study in Paris and Berlin. He is Professor of History and the founding Director of the Centre for the History of Violence at the University of Newcastle, Australia. His primary research interest was eighteenth-century Europe with particular emphasis on the Napoleonic Empire. He is currently engaged in writing a global history of violence.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ANDREW
5.0 out of 5 stars Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about Napoleon.
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2014
Verified Purchase
The best English - possibly the best, biography of Napoleon written.

Just when you think everything about Napoleon is known, Philip Dwyer through skillful archival research has unearthed new and, sensational material which challenges some of the conventional wisdom (and myths) about Napoleon. Beautiful prose and a page-turner. I have been reading Napoleonic biographies for over 40 years and I have lost count of the number, but this is head-and-shoulders above anything else i have read. My only criticism, which is slight, is that volume two ends with him sailing to St Helena. I would have liked to seen how Dwyer would have approached Napoleon's exile and death.
3 people found this helpful
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overmedium
5.0 out of 5 stars Napoleon
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
haven't read yeti, the reviews are extremely good, so, I would probably agree. Believe it our not, it's the first book of my vast library about Napoleon, so I have the definitive work on his life, right......Lavarre Ulken
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Raymond J. Fitzgibbon
2.0 out of 5 stars a little dull
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
i would not buy it again
if i knew then
what i know now
is fairly tedious
i could use a little more abt the big stuff
less abt the author's opinions abt personalities
4 people found this helpful
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E.B. Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
Long but educational. A complex man: a genius at what he does well but deeply harmful side effects.
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Nicholas Roberts
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and full of information...too bad it wasn't two volumes.
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2014
I found Mr. Dwyer's second book on Napoleon to be very good with a few minor exceptions. The book is definitely quite long, with nearly 700 pages of text, however the book takes on different aspects of Napoleon that are not covered in other biographies. Napoleon's propaganda machine for instance is talked about throughout the book, but also his influence on the arts. The battles are not covered in extensive detail, but the effects of the war are covered much more fully than in other biographies. Therefore one might not see too much on the Battle of Jena, but the effects of the war on Prussia itself is talked about. Dwyer certainly makes plenty of assumptions about Napoleon's actions and all, but most historians do that anyhow. Whether or not the assumptions effect the quality of the book depends upon if the writer thinks about Napoleon in the same manner as yourself. I found the book to be thoroughly entertaining with more than 100+ pages of footnotes that back the assertions that Dwyer is making.

I have a few complaints. First there is just too much information for one book. Dwyer could have easily wrote this book in two volumes and elaborated more on certain topics. St. Helena is completely left out, why I do not know. Dwyer's view of Napoleon is negative, but that is his opinion and he has proof to back it up. There are other writers out there who disagree and they are also entitled to their opinions. Napoleon was and is a complex and controversial figure. He will always have those who back him completely and those who dislike him. It is up to you to read both versions and make up your mind yourself. Dwyer provides one school of thought and there are certainly others who back him. It should be noted too that Dwyer is hardly kind to the Allies either. He mentions atrocities committed in France and Germany by Allied soldiers so the book is by no means one sided in that regard.
One person found this helpful
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Paul Y. Gelman
5.0 out of 5 stars Napoleon- dictator or saviour?
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2014
This book is one of the best written ones on the subject of Napoleon. It describes in great detail the many battles of the Emperor, with particular emphasis on the bitter fate of the French soldiers in Spain and in Russia, where almost more than half a million French soldiers died there.
It also takes a deep look into the private life of Napoleon, his loves, his health, his problems with his brothers and with his wives and also has many quotes, quips and speeches by him.
Was he a dictator or a liberator? This depends on the reader's choice, although the author is inclined to show him as a cruel and oppressive leader. The controversy over this point will probably go on in the future.
Mr. Dwyer has written a marvellouly researched book, incorporating new evidence about the battles in Russia. It is intended for the academic and the lay reader alike. My only criticism has to do with the horribly produced drawings and pictures-many by the famous David- and in the future the publishers should be much nore serious about this point.
All in all, this book is a treat and definitely much recommended!
4 people found this helpful
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