“Hilarious, introspective, contemplative, professorial . . . the
tale of a historical motorcycle tour quite unlike most any you will
ever read.” —Ultimate Motorcycling Lire Magazine Best Travel Book
Take four friends, put them on two Ural motorcycles (complete with
sidecars), send them off on a 2,500-mile odyssey retracing history’s
most famous retreat, add what some might consider an excessive amount
of Vodka, and you’ve got Sylvain Tesson’s Berezina, a riotous and
erudite book that combines travel, history, comradery, and adventure.
The retreat of Napoleon’s Grande Armée from Russia culminated,
after a humiliating loss, with the crossing of the River Berezina, a
word that henceforth became synonymous with unmitigated disaster for
the French and national pride for the Russians. Two hundred years
after this battle, Sylvain Tesson and his friends retrace Napoleon’s
retreat, along the way reflecting on the lessons of history, the
meaning of defeat, and the realities of contemporary Europe. A great
read for history buffs and for anyone who has ever dreamed of an
adventure that is out of the ordinary. “Wonderfully mad.” —The
Times “The narration is wry and marked by a cheerful fatalism. Mr.
Tesson is a witty and knowledgeable road companion.” —The Wall
Street Journal “From beginning to end, the story of Berezina is
enthralling, funny, and terrifying. At the same time, it is
magnificently written.” —RTL “Berezina succeeds brilliantly as a
sly commentary on—and a challenge to conventional thinking
about—today’s contention between Russia and the EU, and the rutted
habits of the popular Western mind.” —On the Seawall
Les mer
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781609455552
Publisert
2019
Utgiver
Vendor
Europa Compass
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter