Download Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French eBook

by Richard Bernstein

Richard Bernstein Europe English

Download Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French eBook

ISBN:

039458340X

Author:

Richard Bernstein

Category:

Europe

Language:

English

Publisher:

Knopf; 1st edition (September 12, 1990)

Pages:

349 pages

EPUB book:

1413 kb

FB2 book:

1719 kb

DJVU:

1116 kb

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Rating:

4.1

Votes:

248

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Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French (1990). Dictatorship of Virtue: Multiculturalism and the Battle for America's Future (1994). The Coming Conflict with China (1997), with Ross.

For other people named Richard Bernstein, see Richard Bernstein (disambiguation). Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French (1990). Out of the Blue: The Story of September 11, 2001, from Jihad to Ground Zero (2002).

Bernstein, Richard, 1944-. National characteristics, French. Books for People with Print Disabilities. Internet Archive Books. Uploaded by AprilV on February 4, 2010. SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata). Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014).

Bernstein maintains that the French, contrary to their reputation for smugness, are actually shy, elegant and formal people with an anarchic streak and a devotion to pleasure. -Peter Mayle, New York Times bestselling author of A Year in Provence.

Bernstein combines personal memoir, informed observation, and news-hound curiosity to offer a stirring and unforgettable panaorama of France-at times exalted, troubling .

Bernstein combines personal memoir, informed observation, and news-hound curiosity to offer a stirring and unforgettable panaorama of France-at times exalted, troubling, and occasionally absurd. Why are the French both so appealing and annoying? Is Paris slipping? These and other questions are answered by former New York Times Paris correspondent Bernstein in this thorough analysis of what. The Imaginary Country.

The absolute BEST book I've ever read on France and the French. I found Bernstein's book to provide an accurate and lively portrayal of a subject which is all too often romanticized or written about in a condescending way. Enthusiastic though unbiased, extensive and extremely well-documented but never dry or boring, lively but not too "journalist-like", this is an absolute must-read for whoever has an interest in this fascinating - though sometimes hard to grasp - country. Readers will likely understand France better thanks to this book. The author's knowledge of France (its history, famous authors, historians, politics, cultural patterns) is simply astonishing.

Richard Bernstein Fragile Glory. A Portrait of France and the French. Bernstein combines personal memoir, informed observation, and news-hound curiosity to offer a stirring and unforgettable panaorama of France-at times exalted, troubling, and occasionally absurd. Price for Eshop: 170 Kč (€ . ). You can ask us about this book and we'll send an answer to your e-mail.

FRAGILE GLORY: A Portrait of France and the French, by Richard Bernstein. In this plumbing of the French psyche, a former Paris bureau chief of The New York Times shows why in the minds of its people France is still in its glory days

Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French by Richard Bernstein John Bayley is a critic and novelist. His books include Elegy for Iris and The Power of Delight: A Lifetime in Literature

Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French by Richard Bernstein. Beyond the Tunnel of History by Jacques Darras, with Daniel Snowman. La France en Politique 1990’. La Vengeance des Nations by Alain Minc. John Bayley is a critic and novelist. His books include Elegy for Iris and The Power of Delight: A Lifetime in Literature. Timothy Garton Ash is Professor of European Studies and Isaiah Berlin Professorial Fellow at St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford.

Using anecdotes, reportage and interviews, the author explores subjects such as the history of Paris, the details of the Rainbow Warrior case and the Le Pen phenomenon.

item 1 Fragile Glory: Portrait of France and the French-Richard Bernstein, Charles Ell -Fragile Glory: Portrait of France and the French-Richard Bernstein, Charles Ell. £. 9. item 2 Fragile Glory: Portrait of France and the French by Bernstein, Richard Hardback -Fragile Glory: Portrait of France and the French by Bernstein, Richard Hardback. Using anecdotes, reportage and interviews, the author explores subjects such as the history of Paris, the details of the Rainbow Warrior case and the Le Pen phenomenon.

A respected journalist journeys through France, from the mean backstreets of Marseilles to the lush landscapes of Normandy, and comes back with an affectionate and insightful portrait of a country in the midst of profound change

Yanki

Well-written, readable book about the French view of the world from an experienced American perspective. I read it before a recent visit to France and felt that I had much more of a sense of the people and the country I was visiting.

Gogal

I was searching for a non-fiction book to read before my trip to Paris. I like understanding the cultural/historical aspects of a place before succumbing to the sights and beauty. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to do this as well. It's well written and easy to read, not bogged down too much in the history of the monarchs and Napoleon. I feel that I understand the French much better today and their position in the socio-economic world.

Jake

Some chapters are still relevand, others are dated.

Minha

Richard Bernstein uses the subject quote in his introductory chapter as a conclusion to the grousing of numerous expatriate residents of France, who complain how things are changing for the worse; that things are not as they use to be in France, but conclude that still: "..." This book confirms why those sentiments might be valid.

Bernstein chose to be an expert on China, long before that became a "career path," and he has received acclaim for both From the Center of the Earth: The Search for the Truth about China which was written in 1982, as well as The Coming Conflict with China published in 1997. The book on France grew out of his experiences as the former Paris bureau chief for the New York Times, during an unspecified period in the `80's. So, his "expertise" on France involved a bit of serendipity, but I was exceedingly impressed with his historical erudition of the country coupled with incisive vignettes covering a broad spectrum of matters involving daily life today. In terms of foreign observers, I'd place him at the same level as the British author, Theodore Zeldin, who wrote The French as well as other books on the country.

The author starts with solid explanations of the central dichotomy of France: Paris and "La France Profonde," the latter meaning literally "deep France", a reference to the countryside where the quintessential being of the French spirit is purportedly displayed. He covers regionalism, and the persistence of village life, but then returns to Paris, electing to quote from the German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, who said the city had the "elan vital," a stronger "life force" than anywhere else.

In terms of history, consider this "factoid": "The historian Pierre Chaunu, cited by Braudel, estimate that the soil of France contains the mostly invisible tombs of fifteen billion people, who lived and died over the course of two million years of human habitation." Bernstein devotes a chapter to the Jews, Arabs, and other "foreigners" who are French. For sure, often with wit, he covers the "joie de vivre" aspects that are intrinsic to France, from the gastronomy to the more open acceptance of the display of the human body. A couple of centuries after the French Revolution, he devotes two chapters to the persistence of "class," and in one concludes that we have all become bourgeois.

There are several chapters that highlight the role of the political class, and France's place in the world. Almost forgotten now was the sinking of the Greenpeace ship, "Rainbow Warrior," in New Zealand, by French agents. One person was murdered in this bungled attempt to "defang" protests against French nuclear tests in the South Pacific. The conclusion has an extraordinarily contemporary ring, including a key verb: "The only criminal act ever punished by France in the entire affair was the leaking to the press of the information that had embarrassed the country in the eyes of the world."

This book was first published almost 20 years ago, but it remains one of the best guides in English to "real" France. It is solid and balanced, and I do wish the author had selected another title. This one, regrettably, conveys that Anglo "look down our noses at the weak and pompous French" which is, by and large, missing from the work. Concerning the French need to assert a slightly different path in life, Bernstein justly quotes Victor Hugo to conclude his work: "...without the French, we will be alone." A solid 5-star work that withstands the test of time.

Sironynyr

deep, unbiased, well researched in all aspects of the review. Written with excellent litterary talent, the book, although extensive, is never boring. One of the best I have ever read about the French and their country.