After I Met Napoleon
Conversations on Elba
by James J Sebastian

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When the greatest conqueror Europe had ever seen was banished to live out his days on a remote island, the British commissioner charged with supervising him—and who ultimately let him slip through his fingers—learned more about him than any foreigner ever had. When Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to Elba, Colonel Neil Campbell spent several months in his company, dining, walking, and riding around the island. Napoleon loved to talk, and Campbell loved to write. Thus Campbell wrote prolifically about Napoleon’s exploits as they were relayed to him, much as he had written of his own illustrious military career throughout his life. After I Met Napoleon is a tale of the Napoleonic era from two very different points of view—Campbell’s and Bonaparte’s own—from the early days of the French Revolution through to Napoleon’s death after having escaped Elba. Sandwiched between these perspectives, author James J. Sebastian offers a wider picture of the geopolitical goings-on of the time: the contest for colonial power in the West Indies, the history of the slave trade, and the Enlightenment thinking that would change the machinations of power in Europe forever. Along the way, the key political and military moves of the Napoleonic era are detailed, from the siege of Toulon through to his downfall at Waterloo. Neither a classical piece of historical fiction nor a straightforward textbook, After I Met Napoleon is a history book alive with imagination, animating perhaps the most influential leader the West has ever known.

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James J Sebastian is an author from Simcoe, Ontario, where he lives with his wife. His other book, Bury Napoleon on Elba!, is a creative reimagining of the same period of history, in which Colonel Neil Campbell struggles morally with the task to assassinate Napoleon after his exile. Sebastian writes for the love of it, and is an avid reader, particularly about the Napoleonic era. He also loves to play piano and to wander art galleries with his wife, Chelo, a professional artist. He finds art and music can be as inspiring to his writing as reading a well-written book.

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Contributors

Author

James J Sebastian

Cover Design by

Chelo Sebastian