author
André Pons de l'Hérault
1772–1853
A fiery revolutionary, sailor, administrator, and memoirist, he lived one of the most turbulent French lives of his era. He is especially remembered for his close contact with Napoleon during the emperor’s exile on Elba.
1 Audiobook
Souvenirs et anecdotes de l'île d'Elbe
by André Pons de l'Hérault
About the author
Born in Sète on June 11, 1772, André Pons de l'Hérault was a French revolutionary figure whose career moved through several worlds at once: the sea, politics, administration, and writing. Sources describe him at different times as a naval officer, artillery captain, businessman, political figure, and later a senior administrator.
He is best known for the period when he was connected with Napoleon Bonaparte on the island of Elba, a chapter that later made his memoirs especially valuable to readers interested in the Napoleonic era. His life also crossed the French Revolution and its aftermath, giving his work the perspective of someone who had taken part in events rather than simply observed them from a distance.
He died in Paris on March 3, 1853. Today he is remembered less as a literary stylist than as a vivid witness to a dramatic stretch of French history, and for the memoirs and political writings he left behind.