The Man Who Outshone the Sun King: A Life of Gleaming Opulence and Wretched Reversal in the Reign of Louis XIV [Hardcover]

Charles Drazin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

Late in 1664, the musketeer D’Artagnan rode beside a carriage as it left Paris, carrying his friend Nicolas Fouquet to life imprisonment in a cell next door to the Man in the Iron Mask. From a glorious zenith as Louis XIV’s first minister and Cardinal Mazarin’s protégé and eventual protector; builder of the stunningly opulent chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte; and patron of the arts and lover of beautiful women, Fouquet had suffered a wretched decline.

The story of the rise and fall of Nicolas Fouquet is both compelling and unforgettable. Charles Drazin’s beautifully written and vivid account brings to life Fouquet’s remarkable gains in fortune, influence, and power, as well as the lavish and hazardous world of the royal court in seventeenth-century France.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Library Journal, 11/1/08
“Long-neglected Frenchman Nicholas Foucquet has finally found a sympathetic chronicler of his fascinating and influential life…Drazin's characterization of Foucquet's fate provides graphic insight…[Written] with the general reader in mind.”

Santa Fe New Mexican, 3/13/09
“Drazin’s writing is…competent and readable…This is an informative book.”

HistoryWire.com, 7/11/09
“The gripping saga of Louis's first minister, builder of the opulent chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte, patron of the arts, and lover of beautiful women, but also the man who ended up convicted of embezzlement and treason…Graceful prose.”

Reference and Research Book News, August 2009
“Reveal[s] Foucquet's colorful and extravagant life and the King's envy, jealousy and eventual betrayal.”

About the Author

Charles Drazin edited the literary journals of John Fowles. He teaches film studies at the University of London and has written numerous books about film. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1St Edition edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306817578
• ISBN-13: 978-0306817571
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,018,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Portrait of a Fascinating Man, September 23, 2011

By 

Brenda Miyagawa "history bren" (Mokena IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Man Who Outshone the Sun King: A Life of Gleaming Opulence and Wretched Reversal in the Reign of Louis XIV (Hardcover)

I originally ran across Nicolas Foucquet recently when I was reading a novel of historical fiction. In the novel, he came across as rather charming but also somewhat sinister. He was sufficiently interesting that I wanted to learn more.

In this book, Foucquet is a consummate politician, but without the coldness or malice usually associated with that breed. He is, in parts, brilliant and yet also incredibly obtuse. His relationships with his family and with the famous and royal of his time are complex, and the author does a terrific job of catching the nuances in all of them.

Nicolas Foucquet is one of the outstanding characters in an age full of them. When he is one of the leading men of France, he acquires his wealth questionably, but he also uses it to create lasting monuments of great beauty, and can hold his own among the more intellectually inclined. Foucquet is just as fascinating when he has fallen as he is at his peaks. How he handles his imprisonment truly demonstrates his strength of character.

The author has done a wonderful job of bringing him to life. The book is very readable, and Nicolas Fouquet himself is unforgettable.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Missing illustrations, February 18, 2010

By 

Lucy Scardino - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Man Who Outshone the Sun King: A Life of Gleaming Opulence and Wretched Reversal in the Reign of Louis XIV (Kindle Edition)

Where are the illustrations listed for this book, they didn't download with my Kindle copy?

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great service!!, September 6, 2010

By 

Veronica L. Ciregna - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Man Who Outshone the Sun King: A Life of Gleaming Opulence and Wretched Reversal in the Reign of Louis XIV (Hardcover)

I received the book within a week after ordering it. The book was like new and of course in excellent condition. Thank you very much.