English writer, poet and essayist Heeler Bellock (1870-1953) divided his famous book about Napoleon (1932) into two unequal parts - the first 60 pages are devoted to an overview of the fate of Napoleon, and most (284 pages) are 34 masterfully performed "episodes" which cover the whole life of the great emperor. “Our current task is to unite Europe. Not a world federation, but the reconstruction of a united Europe - this is our task, and according to its decision we will be judged, depending on our success or failure, which will determine what kind of world we will live in. Circumstances - or providence - allowed one person, who lived a hundred years before our generation, to almost complete this vital task. Napoleon Bonaparte came close to renewing our civilization, to establish it on a permanent basis in a revived, stable and noble form. Having done this, he would revive the soul of our culture and give it peace. But why did Napoleon fail, and we end up with what we have? First of all, we should understand how he had the opportunity to play such a huge role—a role that he alone could play due to his qualities—but which his flaws and weaknesses did not allow him to play to the end. If Europe eventually unites, then this, no matter what, we will be obliged to Napoleon"
Author
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc was an Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902. He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, satirist, man of letters, and political activist. He is most notable for his Catholic faith, which had a strong impact on most of his works and his writing collaboration with G.K. Chesterton. He was President of the Oxford Union and later MP for Salford from 1906 to 1910. He was a noted disputant, with a number of long-running feuds, but also widely regarded as a humane and sympathetic man.
