MEMOIRS OF SAINT-SIMON

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MEMOIRS OF SAINT-SIMON

1leccol
Mrz. 15, 2015, 2:25 pm

Here is a Memoir which is very interesting, but which doesn't get much press here. Perhaps Chris could review it.

The Memoirs of Saint-Simon (LEC) gives a rare insight into the reign of Louis XIV. Printed in 1959 and illustrated by Pierre Brissaud, it should be readily available. It can be read along with The Sun King by Nancy Mitford for a greater understanding of French history. Nancy Mitford lived in the town of Versailles for a number of years, and this book was published a few years ago by the Folio Society.

2blue.eyes2
Dez. 11, 2021, 11:11 pm















3blue.eyes2
Dez. 11, 2021, 11:17 pm











4blue.eyes2
Dez. 11, 2021, 11:18 pm

I'll try to post a brief review of this book tomorrow. If anyone else would like to share their views of this book (either its production quality or literary quality) please do so.

5WildcatJF
Dez. 11, 2021, 11:46 pm

As a fan of Pierre Brissaud, I am always happy to see threads of his artistry pop up here :) I don't have much of a comment on the memoirs themselves, but here is my post from a few years back: https://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/limited-editions-club-the-mem...

Yours looks lovely! Mine has some spine sunning and didn't come with the letter.

6jveezer
Dez. 11, 2021, 11:55 pm

I'm planning to review this for The Whole Book Experience at some point. Been wanting to read it forever, especially given the numerous references in Proust.

7laotzu225
Dez. 12, 2021, 4:58 pm

>6 jveezer: Let us know when you do it. I bought the two-volume set about 13 months ago only because it was an LEC being offered for $30 and was in very fine condition with ML. I haven't even looked through it to admire the Brissaud illustrations. (I say this while beating my breast and whispering mea culpas.)
This thread may instigate my reading it; the subject should be inherently fascinating.

8BionicJim
Dez. 13, 2021, 1:20 am

I bought this book for the sole reason that it was the book memorized by Clarisse in the film version of Fahrenheit 451 directed by Francois Truffaut. I figured it must be a great book if it’s one the book people chose to pass to the next generation. Haven’t read it, yet.

9blue.eyes2
Dez. 14, 2021, 1:18 am

>6 jveezer: Do please share the link to your review when you get around to writing it.

10blue.eyes2
Dez. 14, 2021, 1:19 am

>8 BionicJim: It seems to be an interesting book, but I don't believe it can be ranked alongside the works of Voltaire and Rousseau.

11blue.eyes2
Dez. 14, 2021, 1:21 am

>5 WildcatJF: Thanks for commenting here and giving the link to your excellent blog. Hope you get around to eventually writing a blog for every single LEC book.

12jveezer
Dez. 14, 2021, 1:26 am

>7 laotzu225:
>9 blue.eyes2:
In case you didn't know, I post announcements of books I review over on the Fine Press Forum on this topic thread:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/146347#n7675926

13blue.eyes2
Bearbeitet: Dez. 14, 2021, 4:00 am

I'll break up my review into first the production quality of the book and then its literary content.

Like WildcatJF I really liked the Brissaud artwork; I found them very attractive and I thought they complemented the content of the book very well. I also thought breaking up the work into two volumes was a good design choice. Otherwise it would have ended up as another LEC Froissart about which we still hear complaints about why it was not divided into two volumes. No complaints about the printing and font type and also the overall design of the front and back boards and spine and paper quality: all of these were good (without, arguably, reaching the best productions of the LEC but perhaps we have been spoilt by works like the LEC Karamazov and Crime and Punishment).

One criticism I did have related to the production of this book was the lack of any index. This is particularly problematic if we consider that the LEC volumes are really an abridged version of the original multi- volume diary written by Saint Simon. The translator, we are informed, worked for four years on the selection and translation but an index would have been particularly useful to determine what the LEC volumes contain and what was skipped.

In his original post on this thread leccol recommends reading a history book alongside the Saint Simon volumes: he recommends 'The Sun King' by Nancy Mitford. This is a good suggestion, although in my case I relied on Will Durant rather than Nancy Mitford to help me understand a little this period in French history and also Saint Simon and his diary. Specifically, I relied on Durant's books 'The Age of Louis XIV' and 'The Age of Voltaire'. The following two photographs are from 'The Age of Voltaire' giving Saint Simon's view of Voltaire (who, until his release from incarceration in the Bastille, was known by the name he was born with: Francois Marie Arouet).





This assessment of the young Voltaire by Saint Simon is surely of historical value given that it is first hand assessment, not based on hearsay. But it is not to be found in the LEC volumes. This is not particularly difficult to ascertain. After the words 'At this time' of Saint Simon, Durant (presumably) has inserted in square bracket '1716', indicating the year Saint Simon is alluding to. But in the few entries for the year 1716 in the LEC, we don't come across this passage.

One other historical personality I was looking forward to reading about in the LEC Saint Simon was Ninon de Lenclos. This is from Durant's 'The Age of Louis XIV':



And the reason I found Ninon de Lenclos particularly endearing is not her colorful personal life but what Durant went on to write about her:



Well, the LEC does not seem to contain any reference to Ninon de Lenclos.

The LEC does contain details about Racine, but the account given by Saint Simon with respect to Racine's fall from royal favor is contradicted by Durant:





I have not yet come across in the LEC memoirs the following rather colorful passages, given in 'The Age of Voltaire', about Abbe Guillaume Dubois, former tutor to the Regent (Duc Philippe D'Orleans), who continued to wield influence during the eight year period of the regency following Louis XIV's death, much to Saint Simon's annoyance.





One other passage of historical importance which I am still looking for in the LEC is Saint Simon's assessment of the British economist John Law who had come up with some innovative ideas on how to resurrect the French economy, and to whose schemes the LEC (rightfully in my opinion) gives a lot of importance by way of content size:



I will add one more assessment of my own, without referring to Durant (since he does not seem to refer to it from what I could see). Louis XIV was obviously superstitious as per Saint Simon. There is an account in the LEC Saint Simon of some commoner living in an obscure county of France who claimed to see a vision of Louis XIV's former now deceased wife (from what i remember) who wanted to convey some secret message to the king which was only meant for the king. This person claimed to have ignored the vision but when he kept seeing it repeatedly he made public his desire to see the king. The king arranged for one of his ministers to see this person, but the person insisted that he must see the king in private to convey the secret message as per the instructions given by the spirit. Upon this it was arranged for the king to meet this person in private for a one on one conversation. It was a very satisfactory conversation for all concerned since the king was happy to have met this commoner, and the commoner also went away blessed since the king instructed the governor of the county that this man must be taken care of as long as he lives. What exactly the secret message comprised of, neither the king nor this commoner ever disclosed.

There were also some incidents in the LEC memoir which were particularly exciting as when an object was thrown at Louis XIV by some person whose identity could not be ascertained. It contained a message, and leaning over the person who held the message, Saint Simon was able to read the contents.

And one amusing scene in the LEC Memoirs, for the contemporary reader, was when Louis XIV asked Racine about the reason for declining standards in the arts.

14blue.eyes2
Bearbeitet: Dez. 14, 2021, 3:34 am

And this is Durant's overall assessment of Saint Simon:



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