Napoleon: Life in Gardens and Shadows

The 200th anniversary of Napoleon's death has prompted a fresh look at the life of this celebrated general. In Napoleon, historian Ruth Scurr presents an unprecedented portrait of the emperor, focusing on his engagement with the natural world. Rejecting the traditional "Great Man" approach, Scurr follows the dramatic trajectory of Napoleon's life through his love of gardening, which offered him a retreat from the frustrations of war and politics.

Scurr's narrative takes us from Napoleon's early days at the military school in Brienne-le-Chteau to his canny seizure of power and eventual exile. Along the way, she introduces a diverse cast of characters, including scientists, architects, family members, and gardeners, all of whom stood in the shadows of Napoleon's meteoric rise and fall. Through these relationships, Scurr offers insights into how Napoleon grafted a new empire onto the remnants of the ancien régime and the French Revolution.

Gardening, as Scurr reveals, was not merely a hobby for Napoleon, but a mirror image to the battlefields on which he fought. In Corsican olive groves, ornate menageries in Paris, and lone garden plots on the island of Saint Helena, terrain and weather were as important as they were in combat, but for creative rather than destructive purposes.

Drawing on a wealth of contemporary and historical scholarship, Scurr's epic-scale, novelistic work offers a revelatory depth and range, revealing the contours of Napoleon's personality and power as no conventional biography can. With stunning illustrations, Napoleon presents a fresh and captivating perspective on one of history's most legendary figures.

The book's release coincides with the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's death, a milestone that has prompted renewed interest in this complex and influential leader. Scurr's approach, which eschews the traditional "Great Man" narrative, provides a unique and thought-provoking lens through which to understand Napoleon's legacy.

In the wake of Thomas Carlyle's christening of Napoleon as "our last Great Man," legions of biographers have grappled with the emperor's life and legacy. Yet, as Scurr notes, a mere handful of women have written his biography – a fact that surely would have pleased the notoriously vain and patriarchal Napoleon.

Scurr's work, however, offers a refreshing counterpoint to this male-dominated tradition. By focusing on Napoleon's relationship with the natural world, she uncovers unexpected insights into his character and motivations. Gardens, parks, and forests emerge as not merely backdrops, but as integral components of the emperor's story, shaping his decisions and reflecting his evolving worldview.

Through her meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Scurr presents a multifaceted portrait of Napoleon that challenges conventional wisdom. Her work is a testament to the power of historical narrative to shed new light on even the most well-trodden subjects.

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