Saint-Simon in Spain 1721-1722: An Odyssey

The duc de Saint-Simon's memoirs are considered a masterpiece of French literature, providing insight into the last decades of Louis XIV's reign and the regency of Philippe d Orleans. His accounts of dramatic events have informed historians, and his literary portraits have influenced French authors. In 1721, he traveled to Spain as Ambassador Extraordinary to solicit the hand of a Spanish princess for Louis XV.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 22 March 2022
Publisher: Unicorn Publishing Group

The memoirs of the duc de Saint-Simon, which cover the final decades of Louis XIV's reign and the regency of Philippe d Orleans, are regarded as a masterpiece of the genre and one of the great achievements of French literature. His descriptions of the dramatic events he witnessed have informed historians for generations, while his literary portraits have inspired French authors ranging from Sainte-Beuve to Proust. In 1721, Saint-Simon embarked on a mission to Spain as the Ambassador Extraordinary to propose to a Spanish princess for the young king Louis XV. Although this mission occurs relatively late in his lengthy narrative, it significantly impacts his account of earlier events, which are concealed but enriched by it. The nineteenth-century essayist Sainte-Beuve referred to Saint-Simon as the "little duke with the penetrating eye." Readers of this book can judge for themselves the extent to which the little duke could perceive and analyze his contemporaries and himself.

Weight: 684g
Dimension: 174 x 233 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914414305