13 Notes From Napoleon, Iowa: Musings on the Edge of the French Empire

About the book

Between 1800 and 1803 the future state of Iowa was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of the French Republic. This collection illuminates some aspects of Iowa’s French past, such as cities named after the Napoleonic battles of Marengo and Waterloo, and explains the mystery of Iowa’s distinctly French-looking flag. Along the way, the author muses on other Napoleon-related matters, such as Empire waist gowns, Goethe’s and Byron’s Bonapartism, the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo, the Congress of Vienna, and to what extent have Europe’s current internal contradictions been impacted by its Napoleonic past.

About the author

Anna Barker is an educator and journalist who, with her husband Jim, raised three children in Iowa City, Iowa, and teaches at the University of Iowa. She walks her Yorkie Watson along the Iowa River, writes on Iowa Avenue, publishes essays in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and believes that this designational monotony could have been easily avoided if Iowa City had retained the name of the original 1838 settlement — Napoleon.

Over the decades, Anna has taught War and Peace 20 times; curated a Dostoevsky exhibition; initiated a lecture series at the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis; and was invited to give talks on Tolstoy at his literary museum at Yasnaya Polyana and on Napoleon in Paris, France. Her prolific literary commentary — 1,400,000 words and counting — can be accessed on Substack at Anna’s Thinking Cap.

Anna Barker’s writer page

AnnaMBarker.org

Praise for 13 Notes From Napoleon, Iowa: Musings on the Edge of the French Empire

“Only connect,” E. M. Forster’s famous advice to young novelists, is what animates Anna Barker’s astonishing travelogue in the footsteps of Napoleon Bonaparte, which takes her from Napoleon, Iowa (the original name of Iowa City, the first UNESCO City of Literature) to a wide range of places touched in some way by the legendary military figure whose imperial designs shaped, for good and ill, the modern world. Ms. Barker deploys her encyclopedic knowledge of history and literature, cinema and cuisine, and all things Napoleonic in service to a capacious vision of any meaning-making enterprise. She proves to be a delightful travel companion and a witty storyteller whose enthusiasm for her subject is infectious. Napoleon is everywhere.

Christopher Merrill
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Director, International Writing Program
Author of Self-Portrait with Dogwood (2017) and On the Road to Lviv (2023)

“Napoleon. A thousand cannons sleep in that name,” said the German poet Heinrich Heine. If you want to hear those cannons, read Anna Barker’s book 13 Notes from Napoleon, Iowa.

Thomas Schuler
International Napoleon expert
Author of Wir sind auf einem Vulkan: Napoleon und Bayern (2015) and Auf Napoleons Spuren: Eine Reise durch Europa (2021)

Anna Barker’s 13 Notes from Napoleon, Iowa contains a dazzling amount of insight into Napoleon’s life from every angle imaginable: his influence on fashion, on Dostoevsky and Byron, on politics and the world order from Eastern Europe all the way to Iowa. Barker’s prose sparkles, and her enthusiasm for All Things Napoleon is genuinely contagious.

Wyn Cooper
Poet, lyricist, novelist
Author of Mars Poetica (2018) and Way Out West (2022)

Put on your bicorn tourist hat and follow Dr. Barker’s beautiful prose on the steps of Napoleonic memory through Goethe, Byron, Puccini, Dumas, and ABBA. Her collection of essays inspired by the Marengos, Bonapartes, and Napoleons of Europe and Iowa is breathtaking and helps the reader engage with the idea that Napoleon is everywhere! 

Dr. Marco Cabrera Geserick
Director, Latin American Studies, Northern Arizona University
Author of The Legacy of the Filibuster War: National Identity and Collective Memory in Central America (2019)

Substack – Anna’s Thinking Cap

Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature 2020-2025 tutorials

University of Iowa biography

Current University of Iowa courses

• Introduction to Russian Culture (https://myui.uiowa.edu/my-ui/courses/details.page?ci=171194&id=998951)
• Russian Literature in Translation (https://myui.uiowa.edu/my-ui/courses/details.page?ci=171181&id=1013156)
• Tolstoy and Dostoevsky (https://myui.uiowa.edu/my-ui/courses/details.page?ci=171191&id=1001025)

Student feedback

Introduction to Russian Culture

“Truly one of the best professors I have ever had. She is SUPER passionate, and while lecture is three hours long, I found the time went by quickly because there was so much to learn. We had many classes where she would bring us food, and it was always a joy to see her travels, images, watch Russian videos/movies, and listen to Russian music.”

“Professor Anna Barker is a wonderful teacher who is passionate and engaged with her class. She knows the material by heart and is always open to discussion with her students. A bit of reading is expected for class, but nothing extreme, and the material is always interesting. Taking this class or any of her others is an experience I highly encourage.”

“Love, love, love Professor Barker. There’s a lot of reading, but Anna Barker makes everything fun, interesting, and meaningful. Definitely want to take a class with her again!”

“Anna’s classes are not focused on grades but instead focused on actual learning. Anna is one of the kindest professors I’ve met, and her passion for the subjects she teaches are incredible. I feel as if her classes are how classes should be taught, with the intention of learning new things instead of just being rapidly tested. Would take again!”

“I had this class in Fall ’24 – Professor Barker was awesome. Understanding, super funny, and even brought us treats multiple times! Readings weren’t too heavy, and lectures were pretty good for the class being nearly 3 hours long. Very passionate and a great storyteller.”

Tolstoy and Dostoevsky