The Whims of Fortune; The Memoirs of Guy de Rothschild

25 cm. [12], 337, [3] pages. Illustrations (some color). Genealogy Table. Preeminent among this generation of Rothschilds, the head of the French Rothschild Bank until its nationalization in 1981, recalls his high-powered, star-studded life as an international businessman and jet set leader. Baron Guy Édouard Alphonse Paul de Rothschild (21 May 1909 12 June 2007) was a French banker and member of the Rothschild family. Rothschild had enlisted in the French Army and was a company commander in the 3rd Light Mechanized Division during the Battle of France in 1940. He was part of the French Army that was forced to retreat to Dunkirk. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his actions at Dunkirk. He owned the bank Rothschild Frères from 1967 to 1979. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1985. Guy de Rothschild was a renowned breeder of Thoroughbreds. Derived from a Kirkus review: Too serious by nature to be a playboy, unlike his somewhat playboyish cousin Philippe, Guy de Rothschild has led a life of relentless industry as well as a life of very grand leisure--and these memoirs, full of business and politics and nostalgia and passion, reflect all aspects of his personality with equal intensity. After opening remarks about the stereotypes and realities of being Very Rich, Guy offers a disarmingly ecstatic evocation of his boyhood circa 1920: the "veritable paradise" of the family's unique castle/estate, Ferrieres, its gardens and stables and dozens of servants. Throughout, however, he also stresses the "comfort and intimacy" of the Rothschild taste, the emphasis on tradition and refinement over luxury, and the near-daily lesson from his imposing mother. Following a democratic youth (lycee and military service), young Guy did enjoy the 1930s high-life--while finding little to do at the quaint Rothschild Bank, which was "gently prolonging the nineteenth century." But then came the German invasion, service as a troop officer (the Croix de Guerre for Dunkirk heroism), and flight from the Nazis. The WW II path led to New York, then to London to join de Gaulle's Free French. (Both the edgy Gaullist contingent and the inspiring British home-front are memorably sketched.) So, after the war, a battle-tested Guy was ready "to resume the role of a Rothschild banker in France, determined to rejuvenate our firm and restore the family prestige": he chronicles his dealings with the Compagnie du Nord, French African oil, and the multinational IMETAL, his anguish over Mitterand's nationalization of French banks. And other firm-focused chapters are devoted to: Guy as horse-lover; a portrait of beloved second wife Marie-Helene; an hilarious, scary tale of Guy's day with an armed, flaky kidnapper; and the Rothschilds as French Jews--a subject which surfaces, often very movingly, again and again. American readers probably won't latch onto the controversial entries here--like Guy's eloquent chapter on his close friend Georges Pompidou. But, aside from a slight tendency toward French-style verbal effusion, this is a varied, compelling memoir--studded with vivid miniatures of Isaiah Berlin, Arthur Koestler, Gregor Piatigorsky, and Louis Aragon. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing.…