You are invited to come to a free talk by Andrew Roberts (East 1981) on his new book Napoleon the Great at Cranleigh on Thursday 16th April – Drinks Reception 7.00pm in the Emms Centre, Lecture 7.30pm in Speech Hall. You need a free ticket for entry and seats are unreserved. Apply to: tickets@cranleigh.org
From one of many positive reviews on Napoleon the Great: “Roberts’ great strength as a writer is his ability to research a subject thoroughly – reading Napoleon’s 30,000 letters, visiting battlefields and unearthing new information from the Napoleonic archives – and then to translate all that knowledge into a book that walks the fine line between the scholarly and anecdotal. The book is certainly not pitched at the casual reader, its sheer length would put off anyone looking for an introduction to the Emperor of the French, but nor is it dry and dusty. Roberts writes wittily and warmly about Napoleon the man but also attempts to explain why it is that Napoleon was ‘Great’: a military genius, transforming not only the French state but Europe itself, a man who encouraged and built a propaganda machine around himself to portray himself as a living embodiment of the glorious, victorious French.”
Andrew was in East House from 1976-81. He was at Cranleigh Prep first, and credits Christopher Perry with sparking his passion for history. In his first year of the Senior School he played the part of Charley in the East production of Charley’s Aunt, and gave a remarkable table speech in front of 100+ Junior Debaters. A sign of those things to come – at least 16 major books and regular appearances on television and radio. See www.andrew-roberts.net