History is made through chance encounters. I often find myself thinking what would the world be like today if Rosa Parks never met that bus driver, or Caesar and Cleopatra had remained strangers. Would the world be dramatically different or would have history progressed the same way? A tough question to answer, if not impossible. This is the question the drew me to read The Linguist & the Emperor Daniel Meyerson did not attempt to answer this question, but he did show how the intermingling of the lives of two men opened the secrets of a long lost civilization to the examination of scholars.
Meyerson's description of these two men's lives reads like a historical fiction rather than a traditional history. He weaves the story like a novelist, yet it is all true. The power of history happily puts itself in Meyersons sure brushstrokes.
Meyerson's intricate knowledge of the personal letters of both men is presented to the reader as Napoleon and Champollion's thoughts. The reader sees the progress of the two men through their own eyes.
Napoleon's career is intermingled with his interactions with Josephine. Napoleon yearns for his own future prosperity while surrounding himself with the wealth of the past. He strives to live a romantic life; one with political and military success, a worldly education and a perfect love. He fails to reach his ultimate goal in each of these categories.
The most impressive part of Meyerson's work is how he presents the development of Champollion. Champollion becomes a vision in the reader's mind. A shy, almost neglected child grows into an uncertain nerd whose obsession leads to a seemingly impossible linguistic achievement. The reader becomes connected to Champollion, willing him to succeed. Of course he does succeed, we know he will, we just don't see how. That is the magic of Meyerson.
The book is a true page turner. Well written and well supported, this book is a great read for anyone looking to learn about French history and the significance of the Rosetta Stone.
