Downtown
Not-not Midlife Crisis: Priyanka Mattoo & Emily Nemens
On Biography: Julia Cooke & Lance Richardson
Napoleon and His Marshals: Victory, Rivalry, Betrayal
Join acclaimed historian Lord Andrew Roberts for a fascinating look at the men who helped build â and ultimately unravel â Napoleon Bonaparteâs empire. In his new book, Napoleon and His Marshals, Roberts brings to life the extraordinary generals who served at Napoleonâs side, from the courageous Ney and flamboyant Murat to the tenacious MassĂŠna, iron-willed Davout, and meticulous Berthier.
In 1804, Napoleon created the Marshalate, the highest military honor of the French Empire, and over the next decade elevated 26 of his most accomplished generals to the rank. Roberts explores their personalities, ambitions, rivalries, and complex relationships with their emperor, revealing how Napoleonâs leadership both inspired fierce loyalty and fueled destructive competition among his marshals. Ultimately, only two of the 26 would ride beside him at Waterloo.
Drawing on years of scholarship on Napoleon and his era, Roberts offers a dramatic and richly detailed portrait of the men whose military brilliance helped create Napoleonâs extraordinary empire â and whose rivalries helped bring it down.
This event is a co-production with The Chartwell Society of Oregon, a chapter of the International Churchill Society.
Destroy This House: Amanda Uhle
Outer Spaces: Becky Chambers and Portia Elan
Julia Cooke and Lance Richardson
Authors Julia Cooke (Starry and Restless) and Lance Richardson (True Nature) sit down to discuss their new biographies. Both works explore the lives of trailblazing journalists and activists. Moderated by journalist Charley Locke.
Rebecca Handler in conversation with Selina Fillinger
Intergenerational: Willy Vlautin and Valeria Luiselli
Authors Willy Vlautin (The Left and the Lucky) and Valeria Luiselli (Beginning Middle End) sit down to discuss their new novels and the intergenerational relationships at the center of their stories. Each story presents adult characters struggling through uncertain circumstances, but who find purpose, levity, and perspective in the children that rely on them. Moderated by Matthew Trueherz.