

And in his account of The Revolution, he describes her resolve during the failed escape to Varennes, her imprisonment in the Conciergerie and her final tragic destiny under the guillotine. Zweig describes Marie Antoinette in the King's bedroom, in the enchanted and extravagant world of the Trianon, and with her children. Zweig analyzes the chemistry of a woman's soul from her intimate pleasures to her public suffering as a Queen under the weight of misfortune and history. Stefan Zweig based his biography of Marie Antoinette, who became the Queen of France at the age of fifteen, on the correspondence between her and her mother, and her great love the Count Axel von Fersen. International Bestseller: One of the great writers of the 20th century paints a vivid portrait of one of the most famous, complex, and controversial characters in European history. "Bids fair to be the definitive life of that tragic queen." -New York Times About the Book "First published in German in 1932 as Marie Antoinette, Bildnis eines mittleren charakters"-Title page verso.īook Synopsis "The most influential biography of Marie Antoinette." - Guardian
