Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food
Imperium
While I was on hiatus last week, I read Robert Harris' Imperium. Brilliant. Highly recommended. It transports you into the life of a pivotal figure in one of history's most consequential turning points: Cicero's rise to the consulship during the last days of the Roman Republic. Told from the perspective of Cicrero's slave/secretary Tiro (whom we know actually did write a lost biography of Cicero), it traces Cicero's courtroom triumphs in passages worthy of the best legal thriller and Cicero's political maneuverings in passages worthy of the best Washington roman à clef. It's the best book I've read in months. My only complaint is that the cliffhanger ending demands a sequel (or two or three, given how action-packed Cicero's life and times were).
"whom we know actually did write a lost biography of Cicero....”
should be “who”. Don’t mean to be a knowitall.
How much of Cicero’s life does the book cover? Your review suggests that it only covers a brief, though exciting period. Wow. Lugo and I might actually agree on something. I enjoy Roman history both fictional and non-fictional and think the McCullough series was fantastic. The Steven Saylor series of mysteries is also great.
You should definitely read the “First Man in Rome” series. It is excellent! She really did her homework, and wrote a ripping yarn at the same time. I have reread the entire series several times from end to end, it’s that good.
I usually read McCullough’s Rome series at the least once a year. The decadence of the Roman Republic sometimes strikes unfortunate chords with today’s United States.
Harris’ novel about Vesuvius was unputdownable.
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- UCLA law professor Stephen Bainbridge's personal journal. Mostly commentary on politics, religion, and culture.
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How does it compare to the Colleen McCullough series (some of which also portray Cicero)?
PB: I don’t know. Haven’t read hers.