In The Eleven, Michon lets us into the world of Corentin, a painter shaoed byand who eventually shapeshistory. Brought up among provincial aristocracy to become a favorite of Parisian societyhis paintings are commissioned by Louis XVs mistressCorentins career rides the Tides of the French Revolution. His masterpiece, "The Eleven," is an enigmatic Last Supper, representing the eleven members of the Committee of Public Safety (including Robespierre and Saint Just) during the Reign of Terror. Corentin and company, his work of art, and the historical tableau of the French Revolution come to life in dazzling, even painterly, detail. A potent blend of fact and fiction, The Eleven is a beautifully written, astute meditation on the nature of history itself and the artists role in it.