Synopses & Reviews
Text extracted from opening pages of book: BOLIVAR THE LIBERATOR BY MICHEL VAUCAIRE TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY MARGARET REED With Illustrations Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY W t XUbettfte $ ra* Cambritge SIMON BOLIVAR Painted in Lima by Gil, 1825 * A creative genius par excellence ', he drew his inspiration from the void. Always great, he was yet greater in adversity. A conquered Bolivar, said his enemies, was more to be feared than a conquering. Reverses lifted him above himself.' O'LEARY, Memorias PREFACE A REPUBLIC, a province of Colombia, the largest port on the Orinoco ( Angostura) a whole tribe of towns and villages to-day bear the name of Bolivar. His portrait appears upon the stamps of several coun tries. All over the world there are streets called after him. There is a gold coin called Bolivar, and a kind of hat. During the' glorieuses' of 1830 the Parisians sang a hymn in praise of Bolivar upon the barricades. If Miranda had his name inscribed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in the list of heroes compiled by Napoleon, in 1832 Bolivar's profile, modelled on a medallion by David d' Angers, was in the gallery of great men. Few have attained to such glory as did Bolivar. In France to-day historians of the highest repute, writing of Bolivar, are betrayed into the most deplor able of errors. The wars of emancipation in South America were not brought about by rebellion of the natives; they were civil wars between Spaniards Spaniards from Spain against families established in America for several generations and tired of European government. Bolivar, the great hero of the independence of those provinces known as Tierra Firme, belonged to a very old Spanish family. Spacewill not allow me to quote in full the letters and speeches of this man whom they called the Na poleon of South America. Many of the * Libertador's' writings are rather lengthy, but a very complete col lection of documents relating to the national hero has been published in Spanish in Venezuela. It fills no less than thirty-two volumes. ILLUSTRATIONS SIMON BOLIVAR Frontispiece From a painting by Gil made in Lima in 1825 and now hanging in the Federal Palace in Caracas. It was sent by Bolivar to his sister Maria Antonia, whose descendants gave it to the nation FACADE or THE BOLIVAR HOUSE IN CARACAS 24 DOOR OF THE BOLIVAR HOUSE 66 THE EMIGRATION OF 1814 96 A mural painting in the Bolivar house THE EXPEDITION OF LES CAYES: BOARDING THE BRIGAN TINE INTREPIDO 106 A mural painting in the Bolivar house THE BATTLE OF ARAURE 1 16 A mural painting in the Bolivar house SIMON BOLIVAR 148 From an engraving by W. Holl after an engraving by M. N. Bate BED-ALCOVE IN WHICH BOLIVAR WAS BORN 192 With the exception of the portraits the illustrations are from Historia de la Casa de Bolivar by Vicente Lecuna and Julio Planchart, ( Caracas, 1924) BOLIVAR, THE LIBERATOR VIENNA in 1804. Winter., In a commonplace hotel bedroom, in an unfamiliar setting, Bolivar felt that he was about to die. He did not fear death; on the contrary, he waited and hoped for it. How could he have expected to recover from his terrible sorrow? Why had he left Caracas ? Com ing to Spain in his impetuous youth, far from his own people, he had married at nineteen, and then had wished to take his young wife to America. Maria Teresa had died as soon as she arrived there. Alonso was right, when he discovered that country, in calling itVenezuela poor little Venice. Now Bolivar had no hopes left in anything. He had wandered from one country to another, no town could hold him for long. Even his tutor and confidant had not given him the sympathy and encouragement that he expected. Rodriguez had merely said to him: * Enjoy yourself. Mix with people of your own age. Go to the theatre and distract your mind. That is your only cure/ As if he were capable of enjoying himself To whom could he turn if Rodriguez failed him? Bolivar had come to Vienna solely to ask for his advice; but Bolivar, the Libera