Napoleon. Deel 1: van strateeg tot Keizer, Johan op de Beeck (ISBN , 9789022329115, WPG Uitgevers)

Read this biography a second time while on vacation in Austria. I had read the book a few years ago when it first came out in 2019. As the title says it is the first part of a 2 book biography, spanning a little over 1000 pages in total. Johan Op De Beeck worked many years for the Belgian tv news of VRT. He has written 5 books about Napoleon and his 2 part biography is considered one of the Best Napoleon biographies. It is not written from the perspective of the victorious and as such doesn’t suffer from a one sided, one dimensional portrayal of Napoleon as the all evil enemy of the free world. The book brings the man to life with all his faults and strengths and places his actions firmly in the context of the late 18th century and the French Revolution in particular. This first part covers the early years of Napoleon as a student and then a lowly recruit in the Army until his coronation as Emperor of the French Republic. Op de Beeck is a master story teller and the book reads like an adventure story, the 500 pages fly by in no time. Napoleon appears as an exceptionally talented individual that was also helped by some luck and simply by being at the right place at the right time. For Belgians the book has some additional historical interest as Napoleon ruled over the region and installed French laws and many Belgians served in his armies as a result. I really enjoyed reading this book. I would say it is a must read and I wish our history lessons at school could have been like this. The book brings Napoleon to life as a person of flesh and blood. A historical giant that in many ways shaped the future of European mainland societies but at the same time was still a pawn in the politics of his time.