Dictator

By Robert Harris

Book Overview

Imperium . . . Conspirata . . . and now Dictator --the long-awaited final volume of Robert Harris's magnificent Ancient Rome Trilogy ? At the age of forty-eight, Cicero--the greatest orator of his time--is in exile, separated from his wife and children, tormented by his sense of failure, his great power sacrificed on the altar of his principles. And yet, in the words of one of his most famous aphorisms, "While there is life, there is hope." By promising to support Caesar--his political enemy--he is granted return to Rome. There, he fights his way back to prominence: first in the law courts, then in the Senate, and finally by the power of his pen, until at last, for one brief and glorious period, he is again the preeminent statesman in the city. Even so, no public figure, however brilliant and cunning, is completely safeguarded against the unscrupulous ambition and corruption of others.? Riveting and tumultuous, Dictator encompasses some of the most epic events in ancient history--the collapse of the Roman Republic and the subsequent civil war, the murder of Pompey, the assassination of Julius Caesar. But the central problem it presents is a timeless one: how to keep political freedom unsullied by personal ambition, vested interests, and the erosive effects of ceaseless, senseless foreign wars. In Robert Harris's indelible portrait, Cicero attempts to answer this question with both his thoughts and his deeds, becoming a hero--brilliant, flawed, frequently fearful yet ultimately brave--both for his own time and for ours.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307957942
• ISBN13: 9780307957948
• Release Date: January 2016
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

This is one not to be missed!

Thanks to the clever use of Cicero's secretary, Tiro, as narrator of the tumultuous period of the first and second triumvirate in the late Roman Republic, I was able to follow one disaster after another. Cicero found himself in political conflict again trying to maintain equilibrium between opposing groups. It is disturbing to note that all of the principals involved in the upheaval perished: Caesar, Pompey, Crassus were executed or assassinated. Mark Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide as did Brutus - Cato's suicide was a statement in itself; his suicide was a symbolic sacrifice to the Republic. One may wonder at all the bloodletting and brutality as evidenced by the slaughter of armies, civilian populations and prisoners of war. Was it excessive testosterone or a society captivated by the power of the gods they worshipped? Caesar seized that power in declaring himself a god. Octavian, Julius Caesar's adopted son, or Augustus as he became known, allied himself with differing opponents and was actually the last man left standing. One of his first acts was to eliminate all of his adversaries through execution and confiscating of their properties in order to finance his emerging dictatorship Unfortunately, Cicero and his brother and nephew were among thousands who were pursued and executed. Cicero tried to preserve the republic by trying to fill power vacuums as they occurred, but lacked understanding of plebeian politics and was continually betrayed by supposed allies. Fortunately, Cicero is remembered for his profound influence on civilization through his writings on philosophy, the Latin language, Law, oration and rhetoric.