Le Roi au-delà de la mer ("The King Over the Water" as it deliberately and knowingly evokes the Stuart exile from Britain) is a 2000 novel by the French writer Jean Raspail. The book is written as a series of letters from a mentor to the young king of France, who sets up his court on a small island in order to avoid the disgracefulness of the contemporary world. Raspail uses the book to reject what he describes as "magazine princes" and champions a monarchism that is not merely for decorative purposes.[1]
 First edition | |
| Author | Jean Raspail |
|---|---|
| Language | French |
| Publisher | Éditions Albin Michel |
Publication date | January 2000 |
| Publication place | France |
| Pages | 184 |
| ISBN | 9782226114310 |
Reception
editÉric Deschodt of L'Express wrote: "The French monarchists of today are mainly concerned with nostalgia and disappointment. The nostalgia can only be vague: the Capetians are far away. The disappointment is more precise: when it comes to power and influence, the France of today and that of the American Revolutionary War when Louis XVI reigned have nothing more in common than the name and the territory. Implied or declared, the beautiful regrets of Jean Raspail won't persuade [left-wing presidential candidate] Jean-Pierre Chevènement who has already taken sides, but many others will be touched, without being attached to either throne or altar."[2]
References
edit- ^ Debaecker, Anne-Laure (2015-05-05). "Royal baby : pourquoi un tel engouement?". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2015-05-10.
- ^ Deschodt, Eric (2000-04-01). "Les vertus d'un jeune roi sans trône". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 2015-05-10.
Les monarchistes français d'aujourd'hui le sont surtout par nostalgie et par déception. La nostalgie ne peut être que vague: les Capétiens sont loin. La déception est plus précise: dans l'ordre de la puissance et du rayonnement, la France actuelle et celle de la guerre de l'Indépendance américaine où régnait Louis XVI n'ont plus rien de commun hormis le nom et le territoire. Implicites ou déclarés, les beaux regrets de Jean Raspail ne lui rallieront pas Georges qui est déjà de son côté, mais bien d'autres en seront touchés, sans pour autant être attachés ni au trône ni à l'autel.
External links
edit- Publicity page at the French publisher's website (in French)
- Le Roi au-delà de la mer at the author's website (in French)
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