Berezina

From Moscow to Paris Following Napoleon’s Epic Fail

by Sylvain Tesson

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Pub Date Nov 05 2019 | Archive Date Nov 15 2019

Europa Editions | Europa Compass

History | Travel

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Description

Lire Magazine Best Travel Book

Take four friends, put them on two Ural motorcycles (complete with sidecars), send them off on a 2,500-mile odyssey retracing history’s most famous retreat, add what some might consider an excessive amount of Vodka, and you’ve got Sylvain Tesson’s Berezina, a riotous and erudite book that combines travel, history, comradery, and adventure.

The retreat of Napoleon’s Grande Armée from Russia culminated, after a humiliating loss, with the crossing of the River Berezina, a word that henceforth became synonymous with unmitigated disaster for the French and national pride for the Russians. Two hundred years after this battle, Sylvain Tesson and his friends retrace Napoleon’s retreat, along the way reflecting on the lessons of history, the meaning of defeat, and the realities of contemporary Europe. A great read for history buffs and for anyone who has ever dreamed of an adventure that is out of the ordinary.

Lire Magazine Best Travel Book

Take four friends, put them on two Ural motorcycles (complete with sidecars), send them off on a 2,500-mile odyssey retracing history’s most famous retreat, add what...

Advance Praise

Praise for Berezina

“From beginning to end, the story of Berezina is enthralling, funny, and terrifying. At the same time, it is magnificently written.” —RTL

“For me, Berezina is Sylvain [Tesson]’s most important book.” —Jean-Christophe Rufin, Le Figaro

“Tesson’s latest book is probably his best [ . . . ] his style, which has reached maturity, is up to capturing the horror of the period, full of blood and drama, but also of humor, alcohol (vodka only) . . . You feel that Tesson is in his element.” —Libération

Praise for Berezina

“From beginning to end, the story of Berezina is enthralling, funny, and terrifying. At the same time, it is magnificently written.” —RTL

“For me, Berezina is Sylvain [Tesson]’s...