Gilbert Martineau
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Martineau was a French naval officer, author of books on Napoleon and his family, honorary consul, and curator of the French properties on St Helena, 1956-1987.
An anglophile, he was living in London when war broke out in 1939, and he joined the Free French in 1940. His wartime service included a period on a British submarine, and service in Mauritania. On demobilization in 1945 he joined the French Naval Reserve, and was called back into the service in 1954-1955. After the war he worked as Director of Publications for Nagel, and was part of an intellectual circle that included Rosemonde Gérard
, Maurice Rostand
, Serge Lifar
, Jean-Paul Sartre
, Jean Cocteau
and Prince Félix Youssoupoff
.
In 1956 he decided to take up an appointment on the remote British Island of St Helena as honorary consul and curator of the French properties, a position which he held until 1987. He continued to live at Longwood House
for the rest of his life. As well as devoting himself to the restoration of the properties, he was also a prolific author. He died in La Rochelle
in 1995.
An anglophile, he was living in London when war broke out in 1939, and he joined the Free French in 1940. His wartime service included a period on a British submarine, and service in Mauritania. On demobilization in 1945 he joined the French Naval Reserve, and was called back into the service in 1954-1955. After the war he worked as Director of Publications for Nagel, and was part of an intellectual circle that included Rosemonde Gérard
Rosemonde Gérard
Louise-Rose-Étiennette Gérard, known as Rosemonde Gérard was a French poet and playwright. She was the wife of Edmond Rostand , and was a granddaughter of Étienne Maurice Gérard, who was a Marshal and a Prime Minister of France.Gérard is perhaps best known today as the author of the...
, Maurice Rostand
Maurice Rostand
Maurice Rostand was a French author, the son of the noted poet and dramatist Edmond Rostand and the poet Rosemonde Gérard, and brother of the biologist Jean Rostand.Rostand was a writer of poems, novels, and plays...
, Serge Lifar
Serge Lifar
Serge Lifar ; 15 December 1986) was a French ballet dancer and choreographer of Ukrainian origin, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century.-Biography:Lifar was born in Kiev, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire...
, Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
and Prince Félix Youssoupoff
Felix Yusupov
Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston , was best known for participating in the murder of Grigori Rasputin, the faith healer who was said to have influenced decisions of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna.-Biography:...
.
In 1956 he decided to take up an appointment on the remote British Island of St Helena as honorary consul and curator of the French properties, a position which he held until 1987. He continued to live at Longwood House
Longwood House
Longwood House was the residence of Napoleon I during his exile on the island of Saint Helena, from 10 December 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821. It is situated on a windswept plain some from Jamestown. Formerly the summer residence of the Lieutenant Governor, it was converted for the use of...
for the rest of his life. As well as devoting himself to the restoration of the properties, he was also a prolific author. He died in La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
in 1995.
Works
- Napoléon à Sainte-Hélène - Tallandier, Paris -Académie française award
- La Vie Quotidienne À Sainte-Hélène Au Temps De Napoléon -translated as Napoleon's St. Helena (John Murray, 1968) by Frances PartridgeFrances PartridgeFrances Catherine Partridge CBE was a long-lived member of the Bloomsbury Group and a writer, probably best known for the publication of her diaries...
- Napoléon se Rend Aux Anglais - Hachette, Paris. Prix du Cercle de l'Union - translated as Napoleon Surrenders (John Murray, 1971) by Frances PartridgeFrances PartridgeFrances Catherine Partridge CBE was a long-lived member of the Bloomsbury Group and a writer, probably best known for the publication of her diaries...
- Napoléon et l'Empire - ouvrage collectif, Hachette, Paris
- Sainte-Hélène - éditions Rencontre, Lausanne
- Le Retour des CendresRetour des cendresThe retour des cendres was the return of the mortal remains of Napoleon I of France from the island of St Helena to France and their burial in the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris in 1840, on the initiative of Adolphe Thiers and King Louis-Philippe.-Previous attempts:In a codicil to his will, written...
- translated as Napoleon's Last Journey (John Murray, 1976) by Frances PartridgeFrances PartridgeFrances Catherine Partridge CBE was a long-lived member of the Bloomsbury Group and a writer, probably best known for the publication of her diaries...
- "Madame Mere - édition France-Empire, Paris - translated as Madame Mere: Napoleon’s Mother (John Murray, 1978) by Frances PartridgeFrances PartridgeFrances Catherine Partridge CBE was a long-lived member of the Bloomsbury Group and a writer, probably best known for the publication of her diaries...
- Le Roi de Rome -édition France-Empire, Paris
- Marie-Louise, Impératrice des Français - édition France-Empire, Paris
- L’Entente Cordiale - édition France-Empire, Paris
- Pauline Bonaparte, Princesse Borghese - édition France-Empire, Paris
- Lord Byron. La Malédiction Du Génie - Tallandier, Paris
- Lucien Bonaparte, Prince De Canino - édition France-Empire, Paris
- Caroline Bonaparte, Princesse Murat, Reine de Naples - édition France-Empire, Paris
Further reading
- Jean-Paul Kauffman, The Dark Room at Longwood A Voyage to St Helena. London: The Harvill Press. 2000