Customer Reviews

Talleyrand

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Talleyrand was one of the world's great "characters", a man of wonderfully succinct and wounding epigrams ("what's not to love-- he's so vicious" was his friend Montrond's assessment), and a man of tremendous skill and foresight in statecraft whose wisdom would do us a spot of good today ("true strength is that which moderates itself" and, faced with Napoleon's plan to cross the Neiman and invade Russia, the wonderful reply "to do what?"

As the "cult of Napoleon" rose in France, Talleyrand, along with Fouche and Marshal Marmont became reviled, the hated betrayers of the Emperor-- never mind that the Emperor was bleeding France white in pusuit of his own personal glory.

As a consequence, this book, written in the 1930s by a British diplomat, to some extent reintroduced the French to the talents of their greatest statesman. The definitive French biography of the same time, by Lacour Gayet, is more detailed, but ultimately diminishes Talleyrand's achievements.

Cooper is ideally placed to interpet Talleyrand-- the salon society that the Prince belonged to is now long gone, but Cooper has a first-hand sort of feeling for the ways in which upper crust Anglo-French society mixed social and policy issues, and the role that women played in the mix.

He also writes beautifully. Talleyrand is a tough brief in that regard-- the man writes so elegantly and sharply that mediocre writers just end up stringing together the bon mots-- not Cooper, whose own cleverness is on display, particularly in the descriptions of the Congress of Vienna.

This is an older book, and does not make use of the last 70 years of research, so its dated in many ways (particularly the discussion of Talleyrand's early eccelesiastical career, which was pretty much a blank until Louis Greenbaum began exploring original material in the '60s-- and Talleyrand's position as Agent General of the French Church is important to understanding the development of his remarkable political skills). There are also no footnotes.

In English, I'd also recommend the excellent "The Lives of Talleyrand" by Crane Brinton, a sort of intellectual history. . .its somehow striking that Talleyrand's greatest defenders are a British diplomat and an American college professor.

In French, Lacour-Gayet is the standard, while Michel Poniatowski's works produced a wealth of new information, if not a full life.

But for any general English language reader seeking an introduction to the man, this is the book, hands down, no question. Read it for content, and read it to remind yoursel of what good writing should be like. . .

What a fun biography! Duff Cooper writes with the confidence of a man who has led an interesting life himself.

Talleyrand's years span some of the most fascinating times in France (in my opinion). He embodied the corruption of the old regime, the spirit of the revolution, and the hubris of Napoleon's empire. Through (and in spite of) it all, he seemed to keep a level head when those around him got carried away.

I found Talleyrand to be one of the most inspiring figures in history, and I think that is in no small part to Cooper's engaging writing style.

The best condensed book on " The Prince of Napoleonic Diplomacy", and the last one hundred days of the emperor's reign. Like Fouche a great visioner of the future and " Bon vivant ", who also knew when to keep a low profile at the right time . He sorted successfully his ups and downs and survived all the french revolution storm, from the reign of terror to the Vienna Congress.

A good introductory book to Talleyrand. Unfortunately it does not contain references to qtotes, events or anything at all. There is not a single footnote in this book despite fact that author makes many references to quotes, memoirs, etc. Not surprising as the book was written in the 1930s. For a more scholarly (but dry) biography see Dwyer's biblio on Talleyrand (Longman Publishers).

There are few if any parallels to Charles-Maurice, Prince de Talleyrand, in the annals of diplomatic history. In modern times, there have been some examples of men who were able to somehow "dodge the raindrops" and serve for many years in high positions in tumultuous political environs. Anastas Mikoyan's ability to survive long and close proximity to Stalin is one notable instance; but he never possessed Talleyrand's gravitas and international influence, nor did he serve different, hostile regimes. No, Talleyrand is in a league of his own - more politically nimble and long-serving than even the satirical Vicar of Bray.

In this classic 1932 biography by Duff Cooper (a picaresque political character in his own right), the legendary French Foreign Minister is treated with respect, almost reverence, and not without a touch of personal fondness. The author clearly does not see Talleyrand as Napoleon came to see him: as nothing but "dung in a silk stocking." Cooper constructs a portrait of Talleyrand based in large part on the diaries of men and women who mixed socially with the legendary statesman in the salons of Paris, London and elsewhere. I have found that such sources are most enlightening and allow the reader to gain a more nuanced perspective and human reflection of the subject. The picture of Talleyrand that emerges is one of a world-class charmer, a conversationalist nonpareil. One gets the sense that Talleyrand would succeed as well in early twenty-first century Washington as he did in early nineteenth century Paris.

Much has been made of Talleyrand's unusual ability to survive the convulsions of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period. Cooper suggests that he was sensitive to criticism on that account and defended his decision to serve such fundamentally different regimes this way: "At every epoch there is some good to be done or some harm to hinder; that is why, if one loves his country, on can, and in my opinion, one ought to, serve it under all the Governments that it adopts." A mode of thinking contemporary Democrats and Republicans might profit from.

Cooper argues vigorously that Talleyrand was a man of a few deeply held positions on foreign policy, but perhaps little in the way of deeply held moral convictions. "He was not one who would die for his principles, nor even suffer serious inconvenience on their account, but he held to them with singular tenacity and was faithful to them - in his fashion." The overriding foreign policy issue that Talleyrand championed was peace and comity with England, France's historical nemesis. Cooper calls Talleyrand's position on England "fearlessly consistent" and ultimately far-sighted and sound. "He had welcomed it before the Revolution, he had striven for it by the side Mirabeau, he had pursued it under the Feuilant Government and under the Girondins, from exile he had urged it upon Danton, during the Directorate he had endeavored to return it, and under the Consulate he had promoted it at the Peace of Amiens; he had remembered it at Erfurt and supported it against Napoleon in good and in evil days." Talleyrand was not physically brave, but he was unflappable on positions of policy in the face of the toughest negotiations or personal invective, and the desire for a stable peace with England was a stance from which he never wavered.

Talleyrand led a crowded and improbable life, yet I found the most arresting chapter of this biography to be the last. In the sunset of his life, this octogenarian ci-devant priest, this married bishop and lecher, this revolutionary ex-communicated by Rome, embarked upon a slow and thoughtful return to faith, literally signing his peace with the Catholic Church just hours before his death. It was a final peace treaty of sorts that absorbed as much time, deliberation, and posturing as any he had crafted in the realm of international relations.

Talleyrand is possibly the most intriguing person to come out of the French Revolution. When he is not selling his services to the courts of Europe he is offering the Directory and Napoleon vital information as to how they should conduct foreign affairs. Cooper does a very good job of putting Talleyrand within the context of his times and makes diplomatic history come alive through his traitorous character. For those who understand the basics of the French Revolution and Napoleon this is a great book to expand their knowledge of how these events impacted Europe. If you are writing a diplomatic history this is an essential book that has to be understood. Cooper uses many of Talleyrands writing for his sources and gives the best impression available of the minister.

An even-handed, page-turner that enables the reader to begin to understand an enigmatic statesman who exercised profound influence during the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. In studying Talleyrand, one appreciates his unestimable intellect and rhetorical gifts; and his contribution to the stability of Europe and the greater world both during his time and through the early 20th Century. Mr. Cooper's book paints a concise, yet illustrative, portrait of a legend with his tumultuous times as a scenic, but undistracting, background.

This lively and opinionated biography of French statesman Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord, who lived from 1754 to 1838 and was known simply as "Talleyrand", is a true classic. Duff Cooper's prose is delightful, his insights are sharp, and his witty style is well-suited to describe the life of the very clever diplomat who is his subject.

Like Talleyrand's contemporaries, biographers seem to be of two minds about him. On the one hand, he is described as a very wicked fellow, selfish, venal, untrustworthy, and utterly lacking in principle. On the other, he is seen as a patriot and uber-statesman who managed to steer a long and winding course through a flood of tyrants and murderers by being flexible when necessary and unflinching when appropriate. Cooper's biography avoids either extreme; he acknowledges Talleyrand's great talents and patriotism while never shying away from his faults.

This is an excellent introduction to Talleyrand, which is still worth reading though first published in 1932. Cooper covers Talleyrand's life succinctly but thoroughly, from his childhood, his early work for the church, his exile in America during the Revolution, his diplomatic work for and against Napoleon, his diplomacy during the Restoration, the Congress of Vienna, and the Second Restoration to his retirement and the hour of his death. Cooper brings a special focus to Talleyrand's Anglophilia and his troubled reconciliation late in life with the Catholic Church. This biography is a very pleasant and informative read.

I initially purchased this book to learn more about Talleyrand who I had encountered mainly through his cutting quotes. I thought the book was very enjoyable and quite a lot of fun. I am not an expert on that period by any stretch but I was educated in the French Lycee system which made it fairly easy to relate to various characters and events in the book. As a casual reader interested in the complexities and depth of the character of Talleyrand I found the book to be very informative and enjoyable to read.

Duff Cooper's bio of Talleyrand was first published in 1932. plenty of water has passed over the dams of political analysis, the interpretation of history and the writing of biography since then, but Duff Cooper's writing and analysis are as fresh and resonant now as they were 75 years ago. Talleyrand had his charm, as everyone agrees, but also had his devious, scheming, self-interested side as contmporaries such as de Stael, Burney, Balzac and Chateaubriand agree. Cooper, no political slouch himself, lays the whole man out for the reader in good vigorous prose. As a result this is a splendid read for anyone interested in the period.