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METTERNICH

Name: METTERNICH
Author: Desmond Seward
ISBN: 0-670-82600-6

THE FIRST EUROPEAN

by Desmond Seward ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 1991

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A slender review of the career of Austrian archconservative Prince Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859), whose vision of a Europe united became a reality briefly during the decade 1810-20, from prolific English historian Seward (Henry V, 1988, etc.). Tracing Metternich's rise to power in the period when Napoleon terrorized Europe and built his empire, the author reveals the astuteness and consummate political skill of the young diplomat. Appointed Austrian Ambassador to the French Court in 1806, the prince quickly took the measure of his adversary, eventually maneuvering him into the Habsburg fold through marriage to an archduchess and souring his alliance with Tsar Alexander. After Napoleon's fall, Metternich embarked on a quest to form a federated Europe, with Austria its center, keeping his hopes alive against conflicting national agendas through a series of congresses from 1814 to 1822—but European unity on such a scale did not suit the temper of the time, and his efforts proved in vain. As newly appointed chancellor for the Habsburgs, however, he ensured an interval of relative stability for Austria, until he was forced from power by the Marxist ferment of 1848. Honored as an elder statesman even through years of exile, counseling Disraeli and conferring with Bismarck, he returned home to continue in an unofficial capacity as royal advisor until his death in 1859. Seward gives a sense of this remarkable figure's accomplishments, including his many affairs of the heart and three marriages, but ultimately the account lacks luster as history and only skims the surface as biography. Timely but tepid, at times merely a patchwork of quotations, but nonetheless highlighting a powerful and controversial presence in the tapestry of modern Europe, still being woven today. (Eight pages of b&w photographs—not seen.)

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1991

ISBN: 0-670-82600-6

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1991

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE DEMON'S BROOD
by Desmond Seward

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LAST WHITE ROSE
by Desmond Seward

- BOOK REVIEW
CARAVAGGIO
by Desmond Seward

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.