Secrets d'État by Tristan Bernard
Secrets d'État by Tristan Bernard is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set in a fictional Central European principality, it blends political intrigue and court satire with a light, ironic touch. The first-person narrator, a cash-strapped young Frenchman abruptly elevated to a confidential court post, moves among a reclusive, intelligent king, a formidable prime minister, and a candid young diplomat entangled with a court beauty. The opening of the novel
frames the tale as notes pressed upon a reluctant writer by a persistent visitor, before plunging into the narrator’s story: a Parisian tutor, Humbert, is whisked to the principality of Bergensland through a chance link with a German tailor. On the train he befriends Count Tolberg, who sketches the power landscape—King Charles XVI, the commanding “premier” Baron de Herner, compliant deputies—and confides a delicate romance with Bertha, whose freedom is subtly obstructed by Herner. In Schoenburg, Humbert takes a modest room in the palace, endures the blustering preceptor Bölmöller, and meets Herner, who enlists him to synthesize French press reports while hinting at fears of radicals and incompetent police. A first visit to the king’s summer retreat reveals a genial, quick-minded monarch who delights in literature, while a discreet friend, Count Herrenstein, hovers in the background. Herner later alludes to a long, protective royal liaison and sets Humbert’s stipend, urging him to mingle in the city; the newcomer samples palace dinners and the bright restaurant life, even starting a light affair with the women’s-orchestra leader. Summoned again, Humbert finds the king troubled by a soldier’s execution Herner insisted upon, and hears an impassioned plea against capital punishment and war, followed by Herrenstein’s somber music. These chapters establish Humbert’s delicate position between a humane, introspective king and a cool, capable prime minister, with private loves and state “secrets” already tightening around him. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Bernard, Tristan, 1866-1947 |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 09000859 |
| Title | Secrets d'État |
| Original Publication | Paris :Édition du Monde Illustré, 1908. |
| Credits | Laurent Vogel (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Books project.) |
| Language | French |
| LoC Class | PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Subject | Thrillers (Fiction) |
| Subject | French -- Foreign countries -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78141 |
| Release Date | Mar 8, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 195 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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