Alexander I

Marie-Pierre Rey is professor of Russian and Soviet history at the University of Paris I (Sorbonne) and director of the Slavic Research Center. She has written De la Russie à l'Union Sovietique and Le Dilemme Russe. An American translator of twenty years standing, Susan Emanuel has specialized in sociology, history, cultural studies, international relations, religion, and biography.

This magisterial study of Alexander I rests on meticulous archival research and scholarly reading in multiple languages. This work will be a definitive study of Alexander I and the political history of his era.(Slavic Review) This is a well-researched, comprehensive and balanced biography of Alexander I.(Canadian-American Slavic Studies) Marie-Pierre Rey has written a new biography of Tsar Alexander I that should become the standard work in any language.(The Journal of Modern History) This book does not dispel the mystery—an impossible task—but it is the most detailed biography available in English, and Rey makes extensive use of direct quotation to provide a revealing portrayal of an assertive, convinced reformer on the throne. Highly recommended.(Choice) Rey has written a detailed yet highly readable biography of a man whose character remains elusive and controversial. This is a well-done biography that is appropriate for general readers interested in European history.(Booklist) Alexander's great strength was the same as his fatal flaw: unbound by filial piety or consistent ideological conviction, he considered himself to be elect, the beneficiary of inspiration denied to other men. It is a truism that hubris of this kind leads reliably to disaster. What makes Rey's book so poignant and vital is the way she shows what else it can produce.(London Review of Books)