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Greetings!
 Labor Day came again much too soon and, as always, I do not feel quite ready to see summer fade away. Two short trips to Manhattan and one to Pittsburgh were nice enough, but do not qualify as a real vacation! But far be it from me to complain (some of you might think otherwise, but that's not my problem). If they were not particularly exciting, July and August were good months, with just the right balance of relaxation and productive work. Reading as usual topped the list of favorite leisure activities, and I hit the jackpot with a delightful trilogy about my favorite Empress - guess who? I hope my review of Sandra Gulland's fictional diary of Josephine B. will whet your curiosity about this fascinating woman who sparked Napoleon's only grand passion and had a major influence on the arts and styles of the First Empire. There are many non-fiction books about Josephine - some very good and others not so much - I am listing a few of my favorites that I believe you would also enjoy. Chateau Gardecki, who was our summer issue's portrait of the month, has just returned from a trip to Poland and has contributed our feature article - How a scarf saved my day. I think you will find it as delightful and clever as the author, and hope it will provide yet another reason never to leave the house without a shawl or scarf. You never know - it may save your day! As promised in my last newsletter, I worked hard during the summer to upgrade Swan Ways' web site and hope it will be ready to launch next month. Thank you to all of you who sent comments and suggestions in response to my survey. They were very helpful to my efforts to make www.swanways.com a site you will want to visit often and recommend to all your friends. With warmest regards, Alix Sundquist | |
The Josephine Trilogy
by Sandra Gulland
In three books inspired by the life of Josephine, Sandra Gulland, an American writer living in Canada, paints an absorbing portrait of the woman who was Napoleon's great love and incomparable Empress. Through Josephine's fictional but very believable diary entries, we get to know a very human and fascinating personality, based on the author's extensive research for many years. The footnotes provide very helpful additional context, insights, and historical detail. Although not totally forthright (e.g. about Josephine's infidelity), this is a well-researched, beautifully written, and totally engrossing trilogy that will keep you turning the pages and win your heart. In The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.,  the first of the series, we meet Marie-Josephe-Rose Tascher de la Pagerie when she is growing up in Martinico (Martinique) at her father's sugar plantation. An old woman predicts that she will be unhappily married, widowed, and become queen. At 16 she arrives in France for an arranged marriage with dashing Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais, who finds her uneducated and unfit for high society. They have two children, Eugene and Hortense. Alexandre perishes on the guillotine, and Josephine barely escapes the same fate, finding herself a penniless widow with two children to support. Her charm, resourcefulness, and will to survive allow her to make her way in Parisian salons and become the "hostess" of powerful director Barras. She meets ungainly General Bonaparte, who is instantly smitten, changes her name to Josephine, and proposes marriage. Two days after their wedding Bonaparte leaves her to command the army of Italy.  Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, the second book in the trilogy, covers the four years between Josephine's marriage in 1796 until 1780, when Napoleon becomes First Consul and the Bonapartes move to the Tuileries Palace. During much of this time husband and wife live apart, as Napoleon is commanding the French army in Italy and then leads an unsuccessful expedition to conquer Egypt. It is there he receives reports of Josephine's infidelity and returns determined to divorce her, but they are reconciled and work assiduously at conceiving a child but without success. The Last Great Dance on Earth is the final and perhaps finest  volume of the trilogy. Josephine and Napoleon love each other and are happy together, but their union is troubled by her inability to bear a child and by the ceaseless intrigues against her of Napoleon's Corsican clan. Crowned Empress by Napoleon in a glittering ceremony in Notre Dame, Josephine becomes one of France's best loved consorts. Kind and generous, she performs her role as Empress flawlessly, and when Napoleon divorces her to fulfill his dynastic ambitions, a heartbroken Josephine retires to her beloved Malmaison where she dies in 1814 during his first exile in the island of Elba. |
How a scarf saved my day
By Chateau Gallanosa-Gardecki A few days ago I was in Poland to attend the First Chopin International Piano Competition for Amateurs sponsored by the Chopin Society in cooperation with the University of Chopin in the city of Warsaw. The city is really progressive, clean, nice, and the people are upbeat and fairly well-dressed. Shawls and scarves abound in all shapes and form, worn by both men and women of all ages and on display in department stores, boutiques, you name it. Sunday after the competition, John and I joined the group of pianists and their guests on a bus tour. Everybody showed up at the hotel entrance at 9 am and the bus was on time. First in line, we sat in the front seats. We were driven around the city and started the walking tour in the Cross Square where Pope John Paul celebrated his first mass after a long absence from his beloved Poland. From there, the tour guide showed us all the important landmarks where Chopin performed, worked or otherwise left his mark. The Holy Cross Cathedral was especially memorable, as it is where you'll find a marker that says "Herein lies the heart of Chopin". A few miles ahead is the Old City of Warsaw. It is a spectacular sight indeed. Part of the scene are buildings that were untouched by the ravages of war. Some were restored to their former glory, but some remained as they were after the communists left. The architecture, the colors and the spirit lend them beauty. Walking through the streets and finally ending at the great market place covered with cafes, vendors, sun umbrellas, chairs and tables ready for hungry tourists, we were allowed to find our way around and have lunch on our own. 
I was wearing black linen pants and a peach colored sleeveless knit top adorned with a matching shawl/scarf. It was a comfortable outfit for the balmy weather.
From the market place, we met the bus just behind the walls of the old city and were driven to the famous park with a statue of Chopin sitting under a tree where afternoon concerts are held outdoors almost every day, weather permitting.
As soon as the first note sounded, all the pianists with us said in unison: "Polonaise." There were about 40 of us, we all found some place to sit on the grounds, John and I on the brick platform next to the rose bushes. After the Polonaise, we started walking back to the bus depot and behind me were Mark and Marcia Cannon (pianist from NYC and wife). He grabbed my hand and said, "Do you know that you have a rip in your pants? Not to worry, it's not obvious." I thanked him, and asked John to walk closely behind me.
In the bus, before everybody showed up, I asked John to check exactly what happened in the back of my pants and as I bent down, I saw daylight. John said...."That is a bad rip!" Dear gosh, what am I to do? We still have to go to Zelasowa Wola (birthplace and family homestead of Chopin) about 40 miles away. My head is swirling with questions... what to do: buy a new pair of pants or a skirt? Or what and where?
Luckily, it did not take long to find the perfect solution. I removed the scarf on my shoulders, wrapped it around my waist and pulled the longer part of the V in the back enough to hide the now really big rip. Having a wardrobe crisis? Wear a scarf! Boy, am I glad that I always have a scarf or shawl with me, spring, summer, autumn or winter.
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What to read on Josephine
Of general interest:
The Rose of Martinique: A Life of Napoleon's Josephine by Andrea Stuart - This sympathetic and comprehensive biography gets my vote as the best introduction to Josephine published in English in recent years.
Josephine: Napoleon's Incomparable Empress by Eleanor P. Delorme - A richly illustrated and well-researched volume which paints an attractive and convincing portrait of Josephine.
The Letters of Napoleon to Josephine by Napoleon Bonaparte - An intimate glimpse into Napoleon's mind and feelings for Josephine over their fourteen-year marriage; the early love letters written during the Italian campaign are among the most passionate and incandescent ever written.
Napoleon and Josephine: The Biography of a Marriage by Frances Mossiker - My favorite account of their complex and passionate relationship. Unfortunately out of print, but copies are available in many libraries, second hand bookstores and used book dealers.
Beyond the basics:
Josephine and the Arts of the Empire by Eleanor P. DeLorme (ed.) - Written in collaboration with experts in their fields, this sumptuously illustrated book examines Josephine's far-reaching influence on the arts and styles of the Empire. It is expensive, but certainly worth it if you are interested in the cultural and artistic output of the period.
The Empress Josephine: Art & Royal Identity by Carol Solomon Kiefer - Published in conjunction with an eponymous exhibition at Amherst College in 2003 which explored how Josephine used art and patronage to fashion her royal identity and contribute to Napoleon's ascent to power. | |
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