
France from Behind the Veil (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. An Account of Fifty Years of Social and Political Life by a Russian PrincessBy Catherine RadziwillLength13h 21m
About this audiobook
In France from Behind the Veil, Catherine Radziwill offers a richly anecdotal survey of French social and political life as seen from the drawing rooms, embassies, and private circles where public events were interpreted before they became history. Blending memoir, political commentary, and salon chronicle, the book belongs to the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century tradition of aristocratic witness-writing: urbane, digressive, sharply observant, and often revealing in its prejudices as well as its insights. Radziwill was unusually equipped for such a work. Born into the Polish-Russian nobility and married into one of Europe's great princely families, she moved among courts, diplomats, politicians, and titled society across the continent. Her life as a cosmopolitan observer, journalist, and controversial memoirist gave her both access and motive: to interpret France not merely through institutions, but through personalities, manners, ambitions, and the coded language of elite sociability. This book is recommended to readers interested in the human texture behind political history. It is especially valuable for those who enjoy memoirs of European high society, studies of the Third Republic's social world, and narratives in which gossip, diplomacy, and historical judgment intersect. Radziwill's perspective must be read critically, but it remains vivid, informed, and compelling.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreBiography and Memoir
Length13 hrs 21 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 17, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1France from Behind the Veil (Annotated)
2Chapter I. Last Days of the Empire: Napoleon and Eugénie
3Chapter II. The Surroundings and Friends of the Sovereigns
4Chapter III. Fontainebleau and Compiègne
5Chapter IV. Political Men of the Time
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6Chapter V. Before the Storm
7Chapter VI. The Disaster
8Chapter VII. Letters from Paris during the Siege
9Chapter VIII. The Commune
10Chapter IX. M. Thiers
11Chapter X. The Comte de Chambord and His Party
12Chapter XI. The Orleans Princes
13Chapter XII. The Duc d’Aumale and Chantilly
14Chapter XIII. The Presidency of Marshal MacMahon
15Chapter XIV. Two Great Ministers
16Chapter XV. Paris Society under the Presidency of Marshal MacMahon
17Chapter XVI. A Few Prominent Parisian Hostesses
18Chapter XVII. Madame Juliette Adam
19Chapter XVIII. A Few Literary Men
20Chapter XIX. The 16th of May and the Fall of Marshal MacMahon
21Chapter XX. Leon Gambetta
22Chapter XXI. The Adventure of General Boulanger
23Chapter XXII. The Panama Scandal
24Chapter XXIII. Two Presidents
25Chapter XXIV. Imperial and Presidential Visits
26Chapter XXV. The French Press
27Chapter XXVI. The Presidency of M. Loubet
28Chapter XXVII. The Dreyfus Affair
29Chapter XXVIII. Parisian Salons under the Third Republic
30Chapter XXIX. The Present Tone of Paris Society
31Chapter XXX. M. Fallières as President
32Chapter XXXI. M. Briand and the Socialists
33Chapter XXXII. A Few Literary Men of the Present Day
34Chapter XXXIII. A Few Foreign Diplomats
35L’Envoi
36Memorable Quotes