The Story of San Michele - Softcover

Munthe, Axel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1773230506 ISBN 13: 9781773230504

Publisher: Dead Authors Society, 2017

Synopsis

The Story of San Michele is the famous memoir by Swedish physician Axel Munthe (1857-1949). Written in English, it has been a best-seller in numerous languages. The author associated with a number of celebrities of his times, all of whom figure in the book. He also knew the very poorest, including immigrants and plague victims. He was an unabashed animal lover, and animals figure prominently, especially his alcoholic pet baboon, Billy. Several discussions with animals and various supernatural beings take place, and the final chapter actually happens after Munthe has died and includes his discussions with Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven. Munthe doesn't seem to take himself particularly seriously, but some of the things he discusses are very serious, such as his descriptions of rabies research, including euthanasia of human patients, and a suicide attempt by a man convinced he had been exposed to the disease. Worldwide, the book has been immensely successful.

About this title

About the Author:

Born in Sweden in 1857, Axel Munthe trained to be a doctor in Paris at a precociously early age, establishing a fashionable practice (Maupassant and Strindberg were his patients) and quickly gaining an international reputation. He became the friend of royalty; Tsar Nicholas asked him to look after his son - Rasputin was their second choice.

Review:

There is enough material here to furnish the writers of sensational short stories with plots for the rest of their lives. * Daily News * 'A beautifully written series of episodes from Paris to Capri, ...recounting the author's struggle to discover what he desires from life.' - Matthew Linnecar * Geographical * It is an amazing book: wonderfully beautiful at times, appallingly horrible at others. For horrors he rivals Poe, recounting his gruesome experiences with a quiet simplicity which is strikingly effective. * Western Mail * I have found Dr Munthe's reminiscences intensely interesting and enjoyable, and it is hard to convey their charm of mingled pathos and humour or their multiplicity of appeal. * Illustrated London News * A most interesting and lovable revelation, enchantingly described. * Punch * Romantic, realistic, pitiful and enchanting, this is the record of a citadel of the soul ... all fantasy does it seem? Impossible? Absurd? But San Michele stands there on the hill for witness. A miracle? Well, every work of art is a miracle, and every beautiful thing the shrine of a realized dream. * Daily Telegraph * The Story of San Michele has style, wit, humour, great knowledge of the world, mixed with that strange simplicity of mind that is often the attribute of genius. * Observer * Told with a power and an honesty which makes this a very remarkable document. * TLS * One of the most fascinating of books, wise in its appraisal of men, overflowing with humour and edged with irony, sharper than a surgeon's knife. There are chapters which are veritable de Maupassant plots in their concise and dramatic realism. * New York Herald Tribune *

About this edition

• Publisher: Dead Authors Society
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1773230506
• ISBN 13: 9781773230504
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 558