The Shadows of Elisa Lynch: How a Nineteenth-century Irish Courtesan Became the Most Powerful Woman in Paraguay

The Shadows of Elisa Lynch: How a Nineteenth-century Irish Courtesan Became the Most Powerful Woman in Paraguay

by SianRees (Author)

Synopsis

In 1854, an ambitious Irish courtesan met a South American General in Paris and returned with him to Paraguay. When he became President, she became his de facto first lady and together they changed the course of the country's history. Consumed by desire for Napoleonic glory, General President Lopez took Paraguay into a disastrous war against her neighbours. Elisa Lynch went with him on campaign, turning conditions of war to her advantage where she could. He was killed in the northern hills but she survived, only to be expelled from Paraguay and die an obscure death in Paris. Reviled and respected, loved and distrusted, Elisa Lynch has been described as both a heroic companion to Lopez and a malign enchantress. In "The Shadows of Elisa Lynch", Sian Rees tells her fascinating story of recovered history.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Publisher: Headline Review
Published: 06 Jan 2003

ISBN 10: 0755311140
ISBN 13: 9780755311149
Book Overview: Sian Rees has also written The Floating Brothel .

Media Reviews
In 1853, a beautiful Irishwoman left her soldier husband in Algeria to seek adventure in the boulevards of Paris. There she became a courtesan and met Francisco Solano Lopez, the son of a Paraguayan dictator. He had Napoleonic ambitions; she had dreams of being his Josephine, the Empress of South America. They left her Parisian boudoir for poor, landlocked, war-wrecked Paraguay. Although initially shunned by society, Elisa Lynch rose resolutely to become the richest and most notorious woman in Spanish America. She aided her lover in the war which destroyed the country, looted what she could from the wreckage and fled, eventually dying alone and impoverished in a Parisian brothel. Sian Rees has undeniable skill in converting her colourful historical panoply into a very beguiling narrative.
Author Bio
Sian Rees has a degree in history from Oxford University. The bestselling work of narrative non-fiction THE FLOATING BROTHEL was her first book.