Journal d'un diplomate en Italie (d'Ideville)

Overview

Journal d'un diplomate en Italie. Notes intimes pour servir à l'histoire du Second Empire is a two-volume memoir by Henri d'Ideville (Henri Amédée Le Lorgne, comte d'Ideville, 1830–1887), a French diplomat and writer (Wikipedia FR, "Henri d'Ideville"). One volume covers Turin, 1859–1862, the other Rome, 1862–1866. It was published in Paris from 1872 (the Turin volume was reviewed by The Spectator on 4 May 1872 and, per that review, carries a preface by Édouard Hervé); the Rome volume is dated 1873 (Hachette) and later editions of the Turin volume appeared (the Internet Archive copy is dated 1875). The Spectator reviewer noted a tone of condemnation of the imperial government that employed him and some vivid personal sketches.

Marie and this work

Marie reads it in August 1877, in Rome-obsessed mood, and detests it. 7 August 1877 (073.0318): "A propos d'un méchant livre, du 'Journal d'un diplomate en Italie', par d'Ideville, une tempête !" ("méchant" here means poor in quality, per the LAN note). 8 August (073.0343): she knows certain things "du 'Journal d'un Diplomate' par M. d'Ideville" which put her in states "à se briser le crâne contre la première borne venue": "Et moi je ne suis rien !!! O Envie, ô rage !!!". 18 August (073.0492): "J'ai jeté au diable le 'Journal d'un diplomate en Italie', cette élégance française, cette politesse, cette admiration banale, m'offensent pour Rome. Un Français m'a toujours l'air de disséquer les choses avec un long instrument ... un lorgnon sur le nez."

Identification note

Supersedes the stub `people/mentioned/IDEVILLE.md` (the author). Marie does not say which volume she read, but since her anger is on behalf of Rome, the Rome volume is likely; this is an inference. The diary footnotes give 1872 (073.0318) and 1874 (073.0492) as the date; the 1872 date matches the first edition of the Turin volume.

References in Diary

Sources