Nonfiction

The Man in the Red Coat

The Man in the Red Coat

  • Downloads：3341
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-13 07:51:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Julian Barnes
  • ISBN：1529112311
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARDS 2020*

'A bravura performance， highly entertaining' Evening Standard

The Booker Prize-winning author of The Sense of an Ending takes us on a rich， witty tour of Belle Epoque Paris， via the life story of the pioneering surgeon Samuel Pozzi。

In the summer of 1885， three Frenchmen arrived in London for a few days' shopping。 One was a Prince， one was a Count， and the third was a commoner， who four years earlier had been the subject of one of John Singer Sargent's greatest portraits。 The commoner was Samuel Pozzi， society doctor， pioneer gynaecologist and free-thinker - a scientific man with a famously complicated private life。

Pozzi's life played out against the backdrop of the Parisian Belle Epoque。 The beautiful age of glamour and pleasure more often showed its ugly side: hysterical， narcissistic， decadent and violent， with more parallels to our own age than we might imagine。

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUFF COOPER PRIZE 2019**

Download

Reviews

Mike ，

I found this book in an independent book store and， in keeping with my personal edict to support such stores at every opportunity， bought the handsome hard cover edition。 I am familiar with Julian Barnes， but mostly as a writer of fiction （and of a worthy review of Penelope Fitzgerald’s collected letters some years ago）。The beautifully stark cover art featuring John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Samuel Pozzi， a fin de siècle French physician， drew me in。 In addition to being eye-catching， one com I found this book in an independent book store and， in keeping with my personal edict to support such stores at every opportunity， bought the handsome hard cover edition。 I am familiar with Julian Barnes， but mostly as a writer of fiction （and of a worthy review of Penelope Fitzgerald’s collected letters some years ago）。The beautifully stark cover art featuring John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Samuel Pozzi， a fin de siècle French physician， drew me in。 In addition to being eye-catching， one comes to wonder if it isn’t slyly evoking Hawthorne’s famous epitaph （Why is the field sable？）。 Regardless， Pozzi， the man rather than the painting， resides at the heart of the book， but the web of extruding veins receives just as much attention。This is certainly not fiction but also doesn’t quite qualify as academic non-fiction or biography， mostly because Barnes can’t help but editorialize in the first person from time to time， but also because there are no notes。 It’s not quite narrative non-fiction because any “narrative” is mostly made up of excerpts from letters between gilded celebrities of the period。 Indeed， Barnes often answers his own questions about what was said here or there， “We cannot know。”So， Barnes’ extended essay seeks to explain how this Dr。 Pozzi came to accompany two titled Parisian aesthetes on a trip to London in 1885。 Spanning La Belle Epoque， the book makes progressively clearer the difference between the man of science and the backward-looking dilettantes。 As Pozzi’s broader relevance waxes， that of his earlier companions wanes。 The book becomes a brief anthropologic biography of the era itself。 It’s about Pozzi in the same way Mont St。 Michel and Chartres is about architecture; the context and setting provide as much fodder as the subject。 Like Henry Adams’ book more than a century before it， this one is a fun exercise in intellectual indulgence by a very capable author。 。。。more

Pedro Alhinho ，

A escrita e as reflexoes de Barnes sao excelentes。 O livro promete ser uma especie de França Inglaterra do final do sec。 XIX， ou biografia da Belle Epoque， tudo sob o pretexto de biografar Pozzi， renomado cirurgiao。 O resultado parecem notas para um verdadeiro romance。

Aamir Ansari ，

Chock full of history and scurrilous gossip in Barnes’ unique style。

Anabela De Sousa Azevedo ，

Revisitar a sociedade burguesa e aristocrática da França e da Inglaterra do final do século XIX， início do século XX， através da biografia do Dr。 Pozzi e do olhar de Julian Barnes， foi uma experiência maravilhosa。

Natalia ，

A book which at the beginning you’re not sure what to make of （is it a biography， is it historical？ often Barnes talks more about himself and his own writing journey than his heros！） it ends up engulfing you in the story of the Belle Époque and its menagerie of improbable characters， all the more exciting because we’ve heard of most of them before。 Barnes takes his characters off their pedestals but with immense kindness， and this along with its humor is the book’s strength。 While we get drawn i A book which at the beginning you’re not sure what to make of （is it a biography， is it historical？ often Barnes talks more about himself and his own writing journey than his heros！） it ends up engulfing you in the story of the Belle Époque and its menagerie of improbable characters， all the more exciting because we’ve heard of most of them before。 Barnes takes his characters off their pedestals but with immense kindness， and this along with its humor is the book’s strength。 While we get drawn in the history of a period and society doomed to end in the most dramatic way with the 1st World War， and being made almost painfully aware of its vanity， snobbishness and self-centredness， we still share the writer’s admiration at the wondrous art that came out if it’s flawed worldview （Proust， Degas…） Doctor Pozzi， our man in the red coat and “kind of hero” emerges as both a prime specimen of his time but also an usher of the new age of scientific enlightenment which， in hindsight， we know was coming。 A gem of a book。 。。。more

LW ，

niet de fictie die ik verwachtte， ook niet de biografie van Pozzi die al geschreven is door anderen， en vermoedelijk ook niet een tranche de vie van de Belle Epoque， ook al was het uiteindelijk niet veel meer dan dat， maar misschien een belichten van de achterkant van het tapijt， het weefsel van toevalligheden die bijna geen toevalligheden kunnen zijn van al die neergeschoten artsen en journalisten， en daarbovenop was het qua boek ongelooflijk verzorgd， met twee prachtige schilderijen， die van d niet de fictie die ik verwachtte， ook niet de biografie van Pozzi die al geschreven is door anderen， en vermoedelijk ook niet een tranche de vie van de Belle Epoque， ook al was het uiteindelijk niet veel meer dan dat， maar misschien een belichten van de achterkant van het tapijt， het weefsel van toevalligheden die bijna geen toevalligheden kunnen zijn van al die neergeschoten artsen en journalisten， en daarbovenop was het qua boek ongelooflijk verzorgd， met twee prachtige schilderijen， die van de titel en die van Louis-François Bertin van Ingres。 。。。more

Suzanne Hamilton ，

I don't know why I added this to my 'To Read' list many months ago; when I managed to get hold of the audiobook I was surprised to discover that it's nonfiction， a biography， sort of， of a French surgeon and pioneering gynecologist， Samuel Pozzi who lived during the Belle Epoque。 Julian Barnes became fixated on Pozzi because of a portrait of the doctor by John Singer Sargent。 But this isn't just a life story; it's also about the age， and many of the interesting and significant people of the time I don't know why I added this to my 'To Read' list many months ago; when I managed to get hold of the audiobook I was surprised to discover that it's nonfiction， a biography， sort of， of a French surgeon and pioneering gynecologist， Samuel Pozzi who lived during the Belle Epoque。 Julian Barnes became fixated on Pozzi because of a portrait of the doctor by John Singer Sargent。 But this isn't just a life story; it's also about the age， and many of the interesting and significant people of the time come into the book， including Flaubert， Proust， Sargent， Sarah Bernhardt， Mallarmé， Colette， and de Maupassant。 Barnes follows his own trails of inquiry and offers his own judgments and speculation about Pozzi， art， literature， and life in general。 It's a bit of a ramble， but quite an agreeable one。 。。。more

Vincent ，

„Im Juni 1885 kamen drei Franzosen in London an。 Einer war ein Prinz， einer war ein Graf und der Dritte war ein einfacher Bürger mit einem italienischen Familiennamen。 Der Graf beschrieb den Zweck der Reise später als »intellektuelle und dekorative Einkaufstour«“。 Damit fängt Julian Barnes‘ neuestes Werk „Der Mann im roten Rock“ an。 Kein Roman， keine Biografie， sondern ein Essay über die Belle Époque， das Fin de Siècle im Allgemeinen und den Arzt Dr。 Samuel Jean Pozzi， der John Singer Sargent fü „Im Juni 1885 kamen drei Franzosen in London an。 Einer war ein Prinz， einer war ein Graf und der Dritte war ein einfacher Bürger mit einem italienischen Familiennamen。 Der Graf beschrieb den Zweck der Reise später als »intellektuelle und dekorative Einkaufstour«“。 Damit fängt Julian Barnes‘ neuestes Werk „Der Mann im roten Rock“ an。 Kein Roman， keine Biografie， sondern ein Essay über die Belle Époque， das Fin de Siècle im Allgemeinen und den Arzt Dr。 Samuel Jean Pozzi， der John Singer Sargent für dessen Gemälde „Dr。 Pozzi at Home“ （so heißt das Bild vom Mann im roten Rock tatsächlich） 1881 Modell gestanden hat， im Besonderen。 Für mich ein Buch， das ich zwischen einzigartig und eigenartig ansiedle。Zugegebenermaßen kannte ich vor der Lektüre weder Julian Barnes noch Dr。 Pozzi und die Belle Époque konnte ich nur grob einordnen。 Aber jetzt， da ich das Buch zu Ende gelesen habe， weiß ich wesentlich mehr。 Viel zu wenig über den Arzt， aber sehr viel über die Zeit， in der er lebte。 Über ihn habe ich erfahren， dass er ein visionärer Gynäkologe war und ein Arzt für die Reichen und Schönen。 Dass er ein Dandy， Lebemann und Kunstsammler war， widerlich gut aussah und dass er von 1848 bis 1918 lebte。 Außerdem lernte ich etwas über seinen mehr oder weniger illustren Dunst- und Freundeskreis， in dem sich neben Grafen und Prinzen auch bekannte Persönlichkeiten wie Sarah Bernhardt Oscar Wilde bewegten。 Über die Zeit der Belle Époque erzählt Julian Barnes locker und im Plauderton von großer Geschichte und kleinen， intimen Geschichten。 Er schreibt über Duelle， zeitgenössische Literatur und Kunst und zeichnet damit ein deutliches Bild der Zeit und des dekadenten Lebens der damaligen High Society。 Sprachlich fand ich das Buch sehr gut formuliert， wenn auch manche Sätze sehr lang und verschachtelt sind。 Aber der Inhalt ist durch die Fülle an Personen und die unglaubliche Masse an wichtigen und unwichtigen Informationen sehr überladen und hat mich manchmal fast erschlagen。 Ich kam mir vor wie in einem Spinnennetz。 Ausgehend von der Mitte （dem Gemälde vom Mann im roten Rock） flicht der Autor viele Fäden in alle möglichen Richtungen。 Ich klebte wie eine Fliege in der Mitte， unfähig， das Buch wegzulegen， aber auch nicht wirklich begeistert davon。 Wer sich für ein Sittenbild der Belle Époque interessiert， der ist mit dem Buch hervorragend bedient。 Wer sich aber eine Biografie des Arztes erhofft， wird wohl ebenso überrascht und eventuell enttäuscht sein， wie ich und sich durch die Menge an Information leicht überfahren fühlen。 Die kleine Prise Politik， die der Autor einfließen lässt， fand ich allerdings sehr erleuchtend: er beleuchtet die Unterschiede zwischen England und Frankreich bezüglich der Frauenrechte， Korruption， Auffassung von Recht und Gesetz， lässt seine Protagonisten philosophisch angehaucht einen Blick auf Europa werfen， was aus heutiger Sicht， nach vollzogenem Brexit sogar fast poetisch anmutet。 Aber leider gibt es zu Dr。 Pozzi， der eigentlich die Hauptperson des Buchs sein sollte， gar nicht so viele Fakten， denn er hat selbst nicht wirklich viel hinterlassen。 Das meiste， was man über ihn erfährt， stammt aus den Tagebüchern seiner Tochter oder Briefen und so verkommt er eher zum Nebendarsteller in einem Buch über sich selbst。 Hauptdarsteller ist die Zeit， in der er lebt und Julian Barnes zeichnet ein gelungenes Sittenbild， was aber nicht das ist， was ich erwartet habe und was Klappentext und Buchbeschreibung versprochen haben。 Mir lag das Buch daher nicht wirklich und ich vergebe drei Sterne。 。。。more

Mary ，

3。5/5 The first non fiction I've read that's in the stream of consciousness style！ Focussing on the Belle Epoque and a French doctor Pozzi and two of his friends， it is an interesting read about a time I didn't know a lot about。 Slightly bizarre though and not everything's about Brexit， Julian！ 🤣 3。5/5 The first non fiction I've read that's in the stream of consciousness style！ Focussing on the Belle Epoque and a French doctor Pozzi and two of his friends， it is an interesting read about a time I didn't know a lot about。 Slightly bizarre though and not everything's about Brexit， Julian！ 🤣 。。。more

N。 ，

Julian Barnes ha reso mediocre un libro con tanto materiale。

Zaphirenia ，

Σε αυτό το καλογραμμένο （όπως πάντα） βιβλίο του Julian Barnes διαβάζουμε για την Μπελ Επόκ και τους καλλιτέχνες της， του συγγραφείς της， τα λογοτεχνικά σαλόνια και του πάτρωνες， τις έριδες， τις μικρότητες， τις αντιζηλίες και τα κουτσομπολιά τους και γενικά όλα εκείνα τα ζουμερά πράγματα που δε σκεφτόμαστε για τους δημιουργούς， μεγάλους και μη， όταν καταπιανόμαστε με το έργο τους。 Ταυτόχρονα， αναδύεται η μορφή του Σαμιέλ Πότσι， πρωτοπόρου γυναικολόγου και χειρουργού του Παρισιού στα τέλη του 19ου Σε αυτό το καλογραμμένο （όπως πάντα） βιβλίο του Julian Barnes διαβάζουμε για την Μπελ Επόκ και τους καλλιτέχνες της， του συγγραφείς της， τα λογοτεχνικά σαλόνια και του πάτρωνες， τις έριδες， τις μικρότητες， τις αντιζηλίες και τα κουτσομπολιά τους και γενικά όλα εκείνα τα ζουμερά πράγματα που δε σκεφτόμαστε για τους δημιουργούς， μεγάλους και μη， όταν καταπιανόμαστε με το έργο τους。 Ταυτόχρονα， αναδύεται η μορφή του Σαμιέλ Πότσι， πρωτοπόρου γυναικολόγου και χειρουργού του Παρισιού στα τέλη του 19ου και αρχές του 20ού αιώνα， ενός κοσμοπολίτη γιατρού προσηλωμένου στην επιστήμη， την ορθολογική σκέψη και την ενσυναίσθηση απέναντι στους θεραπευόμενους του。 Από την άλλη， μας παρουσιάζει αναλυτικά και τον κόμη Ρομπέρ ντε Μοντεσκιέ， έναν ομοφυλόφιλο εστέτ δανδή της εποχής， ποιητή και συλλέκτη που ανακάλυψε και ανέδειξε ταλέντα της εποχής και αποτέλεσε την έμπνευση για ήρωες που απαντούν σε έργα των Ουισμάνς και Μαρσέλ Προυστ。 Περνάνε επίσης και αλλά ονοματα τα οποια διαπλεκονται με τη ζωή αυτών των προσωπων όπως η Σάρα Μπερνάρ， ο Όσκαρ Ουάιλντ και Εντμον ντε Γκονκούρ。 Από τη μια είναι λίγο ειδικού ενδιαφέροντος， από την άλλη αποτυπώνει με καθαρότητα και χιούμορ μια εποχή της ευρωπαϊκής διανόησης που έχει ένα ευρύτερο ενδιαφέρον， οπότε ενώ οπωσδήποτε δεν είναι για όλους， έχει στοιχεία που μπορούν να τραβήξουν πολλές κατηγορίες αναγνωστών。 Προσωπικά το ρουφηξα ουσιαστικά μέσα σε τρεις μέρες。 。。。more

Ricardo da Silva ，

Uma interessante biografia do Dr。 Pozzi， o "homem do casaco vermelho" do quadro do Sargent。 E um interessante retracto da Belle Époque。 Gostei bastante。 Uma interessante biografia do Dr。 Pozzi， o "homem do casaco vermelho" do quadro do Sargent。 E um interessante retracto da Belle Époque。 Gostei bastante。 。。。more

Ben ，

Not sure there was enough on Dr Pozzi to justify a whole book about him by Barnes here。 Starts with a compelling narrative featuring Pozzi and 2 others， but that quickly falls apart and we're left with a series of sketches about the belle époque instead。 Good， but needed a unifying narrative or a stronger theme running through it。 Not sure there was enough on Dr Pozzi to justify a whole book about him by Barnes here。 Starts with a compelling narrative featuring Pozzi and 2 others， but that quickly falls apart and we're left with a series of sketches about the belle époque instead。 Good， but needed a unifying narrative or a stronger theme running through it。 。。。more

Holgs ，

Pro-Tip: wegen der zahlreichen Bilder lieber Print statt， wie ich， das Hörbuch nehmen。Julian Barnes ist ein entspanntes， sehr aufschlussreiches Buch über die Belle Epoque in Paris gelungen， die er anhand von drei Hauptcharakteren und zahlreichen weiteren Persönlichkeiten illustriert。 Nebenbei erfährt man noch viel über medizinischen Fortschritt， Duelle， französische Presse und die anglo-französischen （Kultur-）Beziehungen。Kein Sachbuch deutscher Prägung， deshalb umso lesenswerter。

Ulrike ，

Great Reading。 A kind of high（est）-level gossip magazine about the 'Belle Epoque'。 Nothing in it that you really must know， but lots of interesting， amusing， funny， surprising， strange things about people （many of them celebrities at the time and even now） and details of their individual or collective lives， their sympathies and antipathies， preferences and spleens。 All of that， of course， in Barnes' typical style of writing （which I love）。 And - as you would expect in a magazine - lots of pictu Great Reading。 A kind of high（est）-level gossip magazine about the 'Belle Epoque'。 Nothing in it that you really must know， but lots of interesting， amusing， funny， surprising， strange things about people （many of them celebrities at the time and even now） and details of their individual or collective lives， their sympathies and antipathies， preferences and spleens。 All of that， of course， in Barnes' typical style of writing （which I love）。 And - as you would expect in a magazine - lots of pictures， too， of almost all of the protagonists - either fine portraits by more or less famous painters， or else photos from a series of collectible cards you could at the time get by buying a bar of Félix Potin Chocolate。 。。。more

Sanja ，

Barnes is one of the writers who just keep getting better。 His constant questioning of the boundaries of a genre has given us yet another great work that is， at the same time， a wonderful read and a profound piece of writing which requires pondering over。 It is a biography， but also a novel， in a sense， showing us that every attempt to write inevitably slides into fiction。 I recommend it to people who wish to enjoy some elegant writing， but also need to be challenged and stimulated

Tânia ，

https://www。publico。pt/2021/05/28/cul。。。https://www。publico。pt/2021/05/28/cul。。。 https://www。publico。pt/2021/05/28/cul。。。https://www。publico。pt/2021/05/28/cul。。。 。。。more

S。 ，

This was an interesting book， but I think the problem with it is that it was marketed as a biography of Pozzi， but turned out to be a much larger description of the Belle Epoque in Paris。 Which in itself is not bad， but it did confuse me in the beginning as I didn't learn as much as I thought about Pozzi， and it took me a while to understand the book and its goal。 Pozzi was merely a porte d'entrée towards the real subject。So as long as you adjust your expectations， this should still be a read wo This was an interesting book， but I think the problem with it is that it was marketed as a biography of Pozzi， but turned out to be a much larger description of the Belle Epoque in Paris。 Which in itself is not bad， but it did confuse me in the beginning as I didn't learn as much as I thought about Pozzi， and it took me a while to understand the book and its goal。 Pozzi was merely a porte d'entrée towards the real subject。So as long as you adjust your expectations， this should still be a read worth your time。 。。。more

Andrea ，

Una passeggiata per la belle époque， lo sguardo che scivola fra Sargent e Degas， la brezza mormora qualche pettegolezzo， belle posture e oggetti futili， tutta la polvere del tempo。

Argos ，

Julian Barnes’in bu kitabına not vermedim çünkü tıp tarihi ile yakından ilgilenen （hatta kitaplar yazan） bir hekim （cerrah） olarak， döneminin ilerici hekim-cerrahlarından Fransız Samuel Jean Pozzi （1846-1918） hakkında bilgi sahibiydim。 Dr Pozzi’nin biyografik öğeleri ilgimi çekti doğal olarak。 Bu nedenle kitabı sadece bu yönüyle değerlendirmem farklı olur， yani objektif olamam。 Ancak kitabı tüm olarak değerlendirdiğim zaman aşırı bilgi yüklemesi yapılmış， okur bilgi bombardımanına tutulmuş hatta Julian Barnes’in bu kitabına not vermedim çünkü tıp tarihi ile yakından ilgilenen （hatta kitaplar yazan） bir hekim （cerrah） olarak， döneminin ilerici hekim-cerrahlarından Fransız Samuel Jean Pozzi （1846-1918） hakkında bilgi sahibiydim。 Dr Pozzi’nin biyografik öğeleri ilgimi çekti doğal olarak。 Bu nedenle kitabı sadece bu yönüyle değerlendirmem farklı olur， yani objektif olamam。 Ancak kitabı tüm olarak değerlendirdiğim zaman aşırı bilgi yüklemesi yapılmış， okur bilgi bombardımanına tutulmuş hatta bazen “dedikodu ansiklopedisine” dönüşmüş bir deneme olduğunu rahatça belirtebilirim。 19。 yy ikinci yarısı ile 20。 yy’ın başlarında， Paris ve Londra’daki bohem ve burjuva hayatını， edebiyatçılar ve sanatçılar ile ilgili anektodlar， mektuplar， günceler， gazete haberleri vb araçlarla Dr Pozzi odaklı olarak anlatıyor yazar。 Kitabın ismi “Kırmızı Giysili Adam” ressam John Singer Sargent’in 1881’de yaptığı “Pozzi Evde” isimli tablodan geliyor。 Bu resimde doktor kırmızı bir giysi içinde resmedilmiş。 Çok sayıda isim ve bunlarla ilgili olaylar veya haberler kopuk kopuk anlatılıyor。 İlgili zaman diliminde başıboş dolaşıyor bu nedenle de okuru sıklıkla boşluğa düşürüyor yazar。 Eşcinsellik yanında aşk ilişkileri， kıskançlık， düello gibi konular dedikodu anlatımıyla aktarılıyor。 Sıkıcı， entellektüel dağarcığa katkısı tartışılır bilgileri içeren bu denemeyi J。 Barnes’in emeklerine saygı duysam da zayıf bir kitap olarak değerlendiriyorum。 。。。more

Fatma ，

This was too much about unlikable side characters and too little about the protagonist， Samuel Pozzi。 I thought "The Man in the Red Coat" a biography of Pozzi， perhaps with emphasis on medical history。 Instead it was a panorama of the Paris of the Belle Epoque （which I like） and a few of its more notorious inhabitants。 True， many of them were Pozzi's friends and acquaintances but shouldn't he get more attention in a book with a title that alludes to a portrait of him？ This was too much about unlikable side characters and too little about the protagonist， Samuel Pozzi。 I thought "The Man in the Red Coat" a biography of Pozzi， perhaps with emphasis on medical history。 Instead it was a panorama of the Paris of the Belle Epoque （which I like） and a few of its more notorious inhabitants。 True， many of them were Pozzi's friends and acquaintances but shouldn't he get more attention in a book with a title that alludes to a portrait of him？ 。。。more

Kittaroo ，

Noioso e caotico。L’argomento mi interessava tantissimo: la Belle Époque inglese， Sargent e tutti i protagonisti di quegli anni vivacissimi。Invece il libro è noioso， innanzi tutto perché salta molto da un’anno all’altro e da un protagonista all’altro， raccontando si， dettagli， storie ed eventi ma in modo così caotico e poco organico che dopo 20 pagine sei lì a chiederti “ma Pozzi non dovrebbe essere il protagonista？ Tutta st’altra gente chi è？”Insomma， un’agonia finirlo。

Michael Ridpath ，

Reading the Man in the Red Coat is a bit like ordering your favourite dish in a good restaurant and somehow coming away disappointed。Barnes’s technique is as excellent as might be expected。 Lively， perfectly balanced sentences feign a simplicity that can only be achieved with great skill。 Wry asides entertain and inform。 Glorious details sprout everywhere。The book is a biography， I think。 The subject， Samuel Pozzi， was a real man， a magnificent painting of him was made by John Singer Sargeant， a Reading the Man in the Red Coat is a bit like ordering your favourite dish in a good restaurant and somehow coming away disappointed。Barnes’s technique is as excellent as might be expected。 Lively， perfectly balanced sentences feign a simplicity that can only be achieved with great skill。 Wry asides entertain and inform。 Glorious details sprout everywhere。The book is a biography， I think。 The subject， Samuel Pozzi， was a real man， a magnificent painting of him was made by John Singer Sargeant， and Julian Barnes swears to the reader that he is not making anything up。 Pozzi was a society doctor， a gynaecologist， and a discreet adulterer。 A wealth of fascinating detail about Dr Pozzi， his family and his friends is served up， with thought-provoking comments on him， his circle， the Belle Epoque and the nature of biography。 The book is a masterful portrayal of life in Paris in the thirty years before the First World War。 There are great sketches and portraits of the dandies， the writers， the actresses and the countesses with whom Pozzi mingled， especially the Count Robert de Montesquiou and Pozzi's daughter Catherine， but we never really get to know Pozzi himself。 The author shows us what others said and thought of him， but we see only him obliquely， indirectly。 The book has no strong narrative pull and no strong central character。 I think this is a failing on Barnes’s part。 An intentional failing perhaps – the author's whole point is that “we cannot know” about a biographer’s subject in the same way we can know a novelist’s protagonist – but it still left this reader unsatisfied。 。。。more

Henk Van Rinsum ，

Mooi en erudiet geschreven inkijk in de 'decadente， hectische， gewelddadige， narcistische en neurotische Belle Epoque。 Mooi en erudiet geschreven inkijk in de 'decadente， hectische， gewelddadige， narcistische en neurotische Belle Epoque。 。。。more

Socrate ，

În iunie 1885， trei francezi au sosit la Londra。 Unul era prinţ， altul era conte şi al treilea era un om de rând， cu un nume de familie italienesc。 Ulterior， contele a descris scopul vizitei drept „cumpărături intelectuale şi decorative“。 Sau am putea să începem la Paris， cu o vară mai devreme， cu Oscar şi Constance Wilde în luna de miere。 Oscar citeşte un roman francez publicat de curând şi， cu toate acestea， acordă bucuros interviuri presei。 Sau am putea să începem cu un glonţ şi cu arma din c În iunie 1885， trei francezi au sosit la Londra。 Unul era prinţ， altul era conte şi al treilea era un om de rând， cu un nume de familie italienesc。 Ulterior， contele a descris scopul vizitei drept „cumpărături intelectuale şi decorative“。 Sau am putea să începem la Paris， cu o vară mai devreme， cu Oscar şi Constance Wilde în luna de miere。 Oscar citeşte un roman francez publicat de curând şi， cu toate acestea， acordă bucuros interviuri presei。 Sau am putea să începem cu un glonţ şi cu arma din care a fost tras。 Asta merge de obicei: o regulă de bază a teatrului spune că dacă arăţi o armă în actul întâi， o să se tragă în mod sigur cu ea în ultimul。 Însă care armă şi care glonţ？ Au fost foarte multe la vremea aceea。 Ba chiar am putea să începem de pe celălalt mal al Atlanticului， în Kentucky， înapoi în 1809， când Ephraim McDowell， fiul unor emigranţi scoţieni şi irlandezi， a operat-o pe Jane Crawford ca să-i scoată un chist ovarian care conţinea cincisprezece litri de lichid。 Măcar acest fir al poveştii are un final fericit。 Pe urmă， mai e bărbatul întins în patul lui din Boulogne-sur-Mer – poate cu o soţie alături， poate singur –， întrebându-se ce să facă。 Nu， nu e chiar aşa: ştia ce să facă， atâta doar că nu ştia când sau dacă o să fie în stare să facă ce voia să facă。 Sau am putea începe， prozaic， cu haina。 Dacă nu cumva ar fi mai bine să-i spunem halat。 Roşu – mai precis， stacojiu –， lung， de la gât până la glezne， lăsând să se vadă un pic de olandă albă cu volănaşe la încheieturi şi la gât。 Sub el， un singur papuc de brocart lasă mici pete de galben şi de albastru să intre în compoziţie。 E nedrept să începem cu haina şi nu cu bărbatul care o poartă？ Însă tocmai haina sau， de fapt， descrierea ei ne ajută să ni-l amintim astăzi aşa， dacă ni-l mai amintim cât de cât。 El cum s-ar fi simţit în situaţia asta？ Uşurat， amuzat， un pic insultat？ Depinde de felul în care îi desluşim， de la distanţa aceasta， caracterul。 Însă haina lui ne aminteşte de o alta， pictată de acelaşi artist。 E înfăşurată în jurul unui tânăr arătos， dintr-o familie bună – sau cel puţin importantă。 Însă deşi îi pozează celui mai cunoscut portretist al zilei， tânărul nu e mulţumit。 Vremea e blândă， dar haina pe care i se cere s-o poarte e din tweed greu， potrivit pentru un cu totul alt anotimp。 I se plânge pictorului de alegerea făcută。 Pictorul răspunde – şi avem doar cuvintele lui， aşa că nu putem remarca tonul care evoluează de la tachinarea blândă la fermitate profesională şi， mai departe， la dispreţ autoritar – pictorul răspunde: „Nu e despre dumneata， ci despre haină“。 Şi e adevărat că， la fel ca în cazulhalatului roşu， oamenii îşi amintesc mai degrabă de haină decât de tânărul din ea。 Arta supravieţuieşte capriciului individual， mândriei de familie， ortodoxiei sociale; arta are întotdeauna timpul de partea ei。 。。。more

Lyn ，

I loved this book because the belle epoque is such a fascinating period， rich in extraordinary， talented， eccentric characters。 The book is chock full of wonderful anecdotes and amazing photographs。 My only gripe is that it jumped around a lot between characters and the lack of consistency was sometimes confusing and annoying。 But this is a minor complaint。 The research is thorough and the account honest and historical。

Scott Pomfret ，

When a gay friend enthusiastically recommended this novel as a portrayal of a 19th century French gynecologist that I （a gay man） would love， I said， ewww， no thank you。 Cant think of a novel idea less appealing。 But he prevailed on me， and I gave in， and Barnes' work is a magnificent piece of art。 Novel might not be the right term， but it is a spry， intellectually energetic， historical account of La Belle Epoque that was alternately wry， riveting， clever， fascinating， and faintly pornographic。I When a gay friend enthusiastically recommended this novel as a portrayal of a 19th century French gynecologist that I （a gay man） would love， I said， ewww， no thank you。 Cant think of a novel idea less appealing。 But he prevailed on me， and I gave in， and Barnes' work is a magnificent piece of art。 Novel might not be the right term， but it is a spry， intellectually energetic， historical account of La Belle Epoque that was alternately wry， riveting， clever， fascinating， and faintly pornographic。Inspired by a John Singer Sargent portrait of Samuel Jean de Pozzi， the aforementioned gynecologist， Barnes riffs on the lives and art of a tornado of late nineteenth and early twentieth century artists and writers。 The names are familiar and readily dropped but somehow Barnes humanizes them in the minute confines of this account， whether it be Proust， Degas， Bernhardt， Montesquieu， Wilde， and countless others。 The interconnections are legion。 The coincidences legendary。 Barnes somehow whirls through Pozzi’s life without neglecting anything about Pozzi and yet bringing to life the host of myriad characters he encountered professionally， amorously or otherwise。 A tour de force。 If there’s a better “novel” of the period， I’d love to read it。 。。。more

Andrea Engle ，

Dr。 Samuel Pozzi， the subject of John Singer Sargent’s painting， “The Man in a Red Coat，” was a successful French gynaecologist。 Interwoven with his biography is a cultural history of the Belle Époque， spotlighting such figures as Marcel Proust， Oscar Wilde， and Sarah Bernhardt， among others 。。。 intriguing 。。。

Tasos ，

Όπως το "Ο Παπαγάλος του Φλωμπέρ" ήταν κάτι περισσότερο από μια απλή βιογραφία του συγγραφέα της Μαντάμ Μποβαρύ， έτσι και το "Άνδρας με Κόκκινο Μανδύα" είναι κάτι （πολύ） περισσότερο από την ιστορία που κρύβεται πίσω από τον πίνακα που ενέπνευσε τον Μπαρνς γι' αυτό το βιβλίο， το πορτρέτο του γιατρού Πότσι «Ο δρ。 Πότσι στην κατοικία του»， φιλοτεχνημένο το 1881 από τον Αμερικανό ζωγράφο Τζον Σίνγκερ Σάρτζεντ。Ο Μπαρνς αναπλάθει την ατμόσφαιρα της Μπελ Επόκ με εντυπωσιακή λεπτομέρεια και ακρίβεια και Όπως το "Ο Παπαγάλος του Φλωμπέρ" ήταν κάτι περισσότερο από μια απλή βιογραφία του συγγραφέα της Μαντάμ Μποβαρύ， έτσι και το "Άνδρας με Κόκκινο Μανδύα" είναι κάτι （πολύ） περισσότερο από την ιστορία που κρύβεται πίσω από τον πίνακα που ενέπνευσε τον Μπαρνς γι' αυτό το βιβλίο， το πορτρέτο του γιατρού Πότσι «Ο δρ。 Πότσι στην κατοικία του»， φιλοτεχνημένο το 1881 από τον Αμερικανό ζωγράφο Τζον Σίνγκερ Σάρτζεντ。Ο Μπαρνς αναπλάθει την ατμόσφαιρα της Μπελ Επόκ με εντυπωσιακή λεπτομέρεια και ακρίβεια και μετά από εμβριθή μελέτη κυριολεκτικά ανεξάντλητων πηγών， απομνημονευμάτων， βιογραφιών， άρθρων και ανέκδοτων στιγμιοτύπων， ενώ μια σειρά από εμβληματικές και μη προσωπικότητες που στιγμάτισαν λιγότερο ή περισσότερο εκείνη την εποχή παρελαύνουν μπροστά από τα μάτια του αναγνώστη， σε μια πληθωρική αφήγηση που αψηφά τα είδη。Μέσα από έναν διακειμενικό διάλογο με τα δύο πιο χαρακτηριστικά έργα της εποχής， το "Αναζητώντας τον Χαμένο Χρόνο" του Προυστ και το "Ανάστροφα" του Ουισμάνς， αλλά και με τις μορφές του Όσκαρ Γουάιλντ， της Σάρα Μπερνάρ και （αλίμονο） του Φλωμπέρ να ρίχνουν τη βαριά σκιά τους， ο Άγγλος συγγραφέας συνθέτει την αντιφατική και συνάμα τόσο γοητευτική εικόνα μιας περιόδου παρακμής της αριστοκρατίας και διαμάχης ανάμεσα στην πρόοδο και τον συντηρητισμό που έληξε με τον Α' Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο。 Ο γυναικολόγος και γερουσιαστής Σαμιέλ Ζαν Πότσι ξεπηδά από τις σελίδες όχι μόνο ως ένα χαρακτηριστικό δημιούργημα της Μπελ Επόκ， αλλά και ως ταγός της， ένας ηδονοθήρας， ο οποίος έζησε μια ζωή που περίμενε έναν αιώνα για να γίνει το βιβλίο που της άξιζε。 。。。more

Frederick ，

Looking for a novel， I picked up this one from the shelves of the English fiction department in my local library。 But soon， after reading a couple of pages it became clear to me that I was not holding in my hand a fictional story about three characters （a prince， count and surgeon） set in Belle Epoque Paris， with the occasional trips to London and America。 It is rather a cultural history of that specific period we call the Belle Epoque， but without the footnotes and an index at the end we always Looking for a novel， I picked up this one from the shelves of the English fiction department in my local library。 But soon， after reading a couple of pages it became clear to me that I was not holding in my hand a fictional story about three characters （a prince， count and surgeon） set in Belle Epoque Paris， with the occasional trips to London and America。 It is rather a cultural history of that specific period we call the Belle Epoque， but without the footnotes and an index at the end we always find in a history book。 The characters in the book are among others Oscar Wilde， Proust， de Maupassant， Flaubert and other （less） famous writers/artists of that time。 It reminded me of another book I read last year， Orlando Figes' Europeans。 Both authors also share a pro-European attitude and regret the decision of English politicians to leave the EU。 Barnes stresses in this book the mutual influence artists in France and England had on each other。 Nearly all characters in the book are cosmopolitan and speak several languages （the fact that they are rich enough to learn and to travel should be taken into account however）。Barnes also tries to diminish the gap between fiction and non-fiction。 Also in the latter we often cannot find the truth and things happen in reality which wouldn't be considered realistic if an author had made them up。"Non-fiction is where we have to allow things to happen - because they did - which are glib and implausable and moralistic" 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Man in the Red Coat

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Man in the Red Coat&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Man in the Red Coat&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0