David Lawday es un escritor y periodista que perfeccionó su oficio durante veinte años como corresponsal de The Economist. Basándose en su amplia experiencia, su obra ofrece perspicaces reflexiones sobre los paisajes culturales y políticos que ha observado. Con sede en París, su perspectiva está moldeada por una profunda comprensión de la vida europea y sus complejidades. Su escritura refleja la mirada de un observador experimentado, aportando una mezcla única de análisis y narrativa a sus temas.
Lawday explores in detail Talleyrand’s perverse relationship with Napoleon, whom he fought with flattery, courtesy and an alarmingly straight face. Quite as much as the Duke of Wellington, it was this club-footed genius of French diplomacy who defeated the great conqueror and delivered France and all Europe from the Emperor’s follies.
Focusing on George-Jacques Danton's pivotal role, the narrative chronicles his rise during the French Revolution, highlighting his passionate oratory that galvanized reformers. Danton's journey from humble beginnings to a key figure at the storming of the Bastille is vividly portrayed, emphasizing his influence during a critical time of upheaval. However, his eventual downfall at the hands of Robespierre's Reign of Terror underscores the perilous nature of revolutionary politics. Lawday's prose captures the dramatic essence of Danton's life and the era's tumult.
Offering an A-Z guide, this handbook provides insightful and humorous tips for navigating French culture. It explores key characters, traditions, and historical events that shape the French identity, making it an essential resource for international travelers seeking to understand and engage with the nuances of France and its people.
In the sweltering Indian summer of 1870, a young Englishman is sent to Paris as Prussian invaders advance on the French capital with the largest siege army ever assembled. The City of Light is cut off from the outside world, the population trapped behind its tall ramparts. As the siege continues for a month, then a second, a hungering third, a frozen fourth and into a starved fifth, the Englishman, a stock young gentleman of his Victorian times, falls in love with a radical French enchantress who by chance saves his hide. The lovers' fate is entwined with those of a tormented French general appointed to defend Paris and an impatient Prussian grandee (Otto von Bismarck) hell-bent on bringing the 'capital of civilisation' to its knees. The unlikely love story turns upon true events that have shaken our world through to the present. Praise for David Lawday's recent book Danton: Giant of the French Revolution: "Spirited and highly readable... Lawday creates some great set pieces and striking turning points... He is able to capture the atmosphere of the early revolution: its inflammable mix of devilment and righteousness, reckless selflessness and flagrant self-promotion. He sees that Danton was more than the sum of his crimes, the sum of his secrets; he celebrates his 'large heart and violent impulses in an irresolvable conflict'." Hilary Mantel, The London Review of Books.