Press coverage from the commemorations in France has not failed to remind us what a controversial figure Napoleon remains even there. It seems that for every fact about Napoleon there is a myth. Tim Robins was merciless with his topical quiz at the recent conversation club marking the 200 years since Napoleon's death on 5 May 1821. Not only did we have to separate fact from fiction we had to do a dictation as well! With points deducted for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes your web editor did quite well on the language but failed hopelessly at guessing the answers. The top scorer turned out to be a history buff who had just read a book on the subject. Your web editor came in joint last with 2 points! Whatever your opinion of the man we can be sure that he was frustrated with the last years of his life in exile. His mood appears to be reflected on the face of the two sculptures I stumbled across at the reclaim yard only a few days short of the anniversary.
BBC Radio 3 marked the bicentenary with its excellent Sunday evening 'Words and Music' programme which you can still hear on BBC Sounds by following this link: 'From Beethoven to Anthony Burgess - writers, poets and composers have reflected on the tumultuous times of Napoleon Bonaparte and whether he stands as a heroic figure or a despot.' Comments are closed.
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November 2023
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