Napoleon: A Life

by Andrew Roberts

Napoleon: A Life (2014) by Andrew Roberts, a single-volume biography, continues to be an international bestseller in both UK and US editions. Awarded a ‘Prix du Jury’ by the Fondation Napoleon—a French prize which encourages research into the erstwhile emperor—the judging panel wrote, “it’s been all too common for Anglo-Saxon biographies to be overly negative about Napoleon…and portray him practically as a proto-Hitler…this is the real Napoleon. Roberts reminds us that his achievements in time of peace produced countless innovations of which the Napoleonic code is the most famous, a system of civil law still in place all over the world today.”

Andrew Roberts talked to us in-depth about Napoleon’s life, his rise to power, his weaknesses and his achievements, while also recommending the best books on Napoleon.