The enthralling third volume of Chateaubriand’s ‘Memoirs from Beyond the Grave’

“The echoes of Chateaubriand in so much existentialist literature of the 20th century suggest that for all his difficulty finding congenial company among his contemporaries, in a longer perspective he becomes a figure we can all be intimate with.” —Tim Parks, London Review of Books MEMOIRS FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE 1815–1830 François-René de Chateaubriand Translated from the French by Alex Andriesse In 1815—with the Napoleonic era at an end and royalty restored—François-René de Chateaubriand seemed poised, along with the Bourbon family he'd long supported, to wield unprecedented power. Already one of France's most celebrated writers, he now became an ambassador and statesman of the French kingdom. Yet as passionate about royalty as Chateaubriand was in principle, in reality he was a recalcitrant subject. A defender of the constitution and of freedom of the press, he quarreled constantly with Louis XVIII and Charles X and eventually tendered his resignation—just in time for the July Revolution, which put an end to Bourbon rule and allowed Chateaubriand to go back to praising the family, now safely exiled to the realm of the ideal. In the third volume of Alex Andriesse's new translation of Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, Chateaubriand writes about international politics, a papal conclave, and the revolutionary strife of 1830 with undiminished flair. And he remains one of the great masters—perhaps unequaled in this—of literary digression. Readers will gladly accompany him on walks around Paris and Rome, as he reflects on storms and ruins, moonlight and mortality. BUY THE BOOK   For three days only, Memoirs from Beyond the Grave: 1815–1830 is available at 25% off along with the first two volumes of Chateaubriand’s autobiography: MEMOIRS FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE 1768–1800 BUY THE BOOK MEMOIRS FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE 1800–1815 BUY THE BOOK   You are receiving this message because you signed up for email newsletters from NYRB. You can choose the types of mailings you wish to receive: Update preferences   New York Review Books 207 East 32nd Street New York, NY 10016-6305 Not a subscriber? Sign up for our newsletter here. Unsubscribe