Francisco de Miranda: A Transatlantic Life in the Age of Revolution

By Karen Racine

Book Overview

Before there was Sim-n Bol'var, there was Francisco de Miranda. He was among the most infamous men of his generation, loved or hated by all who knew him. Though his roots are deeply entrenched in Latin America, he was a true world citizen-residing for extended periods in the United States and in Europe. His home was the nexus at which the Old and New Worlds met in the Age of Revolution. Venezuelan General Francisco Gabriel de Miranda (1750-1816) participated in the major political events of the Atlantic World for more than three decades. Before his tragic last days he would be Spanish soldier, friend of U.S. presidents, paramour of Catherine the Great, French Revolutionary General in the Belgian campaigns, perennial thorn in the side of British Prime Minister William Pitt, and fomenter of revolution in Spanish America. He used his personal relationships with leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to advance his dream of a liberated Spanish America. Eventually, the glory days would reach a screeching halt when a fellow revolutionary would turn him over to the opposition, and he would spend the rest of his natural life in a cramped, dank cell at the prison of La Carraca in COdiz. Francisco de Miranda: A Transatlantic Life in the Age of Revolution is an insightful life-and-times account of Miranda, emphasizing the personal, human, social, and cultural context, and revealing the interconnectedness of the Atlantic World. Author Karen Racine brings the man into focus in a careful, thorough analysis, demonstrating the effect of his political and social savvy on both sides of the Atlantic, and showing how his savvy, firm political beliefs and courageous actions saved him from being the simple scoundrel that his dalliances suggested. Shedding light on one of history's most charismatic and cosmopolitan world citizens, Francisco de Miranda will appeal to all those interested in biography and Latin American history.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0842029109
• ISBN13: 9780842029100
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.1" x 0.9" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

muy interesante

Excelente trabajo de Karen Racine acerca de uno de los grandes heroes de la independencia de sudamerica,este libro retrata la vida y la dura época en la que vivio Francisco de Miranda y nos demuestra lo adelantado que estuvo su pensamiento para finales del siglo XVIII,sus viajes por Estados Unidos y Europa hicieron de Miranda un personaje extraordinario.

The Precursor of Latin American Independence

Karen Racine's book follows Miranda's life as a citizen of the Atlantic world, put into the framework of Miranda's ultimate goal to inspire and lead wars of independence in Spanish South America. Because Miranda spent the vast majority of his life traveling outside of Latin America, and because he is granted the title "Precursor" of Latin American independence (he failed at personally inspiring any revolutions), the book is probably more pertinent to the study of Enlightenment Europe than Latin American History. Racine's style of writing is somewhat simplistic and at times relies on psychological historiography, of which I am personally skeptical, and makes declarations concerning Miranda's emotional state at certain points in his life which without specific in-text references to his diaries seem like biased assumptions. In general, the book would benefit from more references to primary sources but Racine's biographical book is undoubtedly well-researched and well put together. I would suggest this book for those interested in studying late eighteenth- early nineteenth-century Enlightenment Europe as the "Age of Revolution."