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Imperium (novel)
Encyclopedia
Imperium is a 2006 novel by English author Robert Harris
. It is a fictional biography of Cicero
, told through the first-person narrator of his secretary Tiro, beginning with the prosecution of Verres
.
The book is the first in a trilogy. A sequel, Lustrum
, was published in October 2009. The sequel was delayed whilst Harris worked on a contemporary political novel, The Ghost
, inspired by the resignation of Tony Blair
. Work on the Roman books resumed after The Ghost's completion.
The book was serialized as the Book at Bedtime
on BBC Radio 4
from 4 to 15 September 2006, read by Douglas Hodge
. An abridged audiobook on compact disc is available, read by British actor Oliver Ford Davies
. Unabridged audiobooks on compact disc are also available, read by Simon Jones
and Bill Wallis.
– and by critics. In The New York Times
, Marcel Theroux
called the book "meticulous, absorbing, informative" and "gripping", although he notes that Cicero the man remains an enigma and considers strained the novel's efforts to draw parallels to the war on terror
. The Independent
s reviewer, Manda Scott
, was enthusiastic, calling the book "a joy to read in every way, and as a mirror to the politics of our present age [it] has no equal". In The Guardian
, Tom Holland
praises Harris's scrupulous reliance on the original sources while retaining "his trademark readability"; in Holland's view, "genres ancient and modern" – classical Latin prose and today's thriller – "have rarely been so skilfully synthesised."
Robert Harris (novelist)
Robert Dennis Harris is an English novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter.-Early life:Born in Nottingham, Harris spent his childhood in a small rented house on a Nottingham council estate. His ambition to become a writer arose at an early age, from visits to the local...
. It is a fictional biography of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, told through the first-person narrator of his secretary Tiro, beginning with the prosecution of Verres
Verres
Gaius Verres was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. It is not known what gens he belonged to, though some give him the nomen Licinius.-As governor:...
.
The book is the first in a trilogy. A sequel, Lustrum
Lustrum (novel)
Lustrum is a 2009 novel by British author Robert Harris. It is the sequel to Imperium and the middle volume of a trilogy about the life of Cicero....
, was published in October 2009. The sequel was delayed whilst Harris worked on a contemporary political novel, The Ghost
The Ghost (novel)
The Ghost is a contemporary political thriller by the best-selling English novelist and journalist Robert Harris.In 2007 British prime minister Tony Blair resigned. Harris, a former Fleet Street political editor, dropped his other work to write the book...
, inspired by the resignation of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. Work on the Roman books resumed after The Ghost
The book was serialized as the Book at Bedtime
Book at Bedtime
Book at Bedtime is a long-running radio programme on BBC Radio 4, broadcast each weekday evening at 10.45–11.00 pm.Book at Bedtime offers fiction including modern classics, new works by leading writers and literature from around the world. Books are usually abridged and serialised each evening for...
on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
from 4 to 15 September 2006, read by Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Hodge is a council member of the National Youth Theatre for whom, in 1989, he co-wrote Pacha Mama's Blessing about the Amazon rain forests staged at the Almeida...
. An abridged audiobook on compact disc is available, read by British actor Oliver Ford Davies
Oliver Ford Davies
-Biography:From the King's School, Canterbury, he won a scholarship to Merton College, Oxford, where he read History and became President of the Oxford University Dramatic Society . He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1990 for Best Actor in a New Play for Racing Demon...
. Unabridged audiobooks on compact disc are also available, read by Simon Jones
Simon Jones (actor)
Simon Jones is an English actor, most famous for his appearances in the television and radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which he played the lead role of Arthur Dent from 1978 to 2005...
and Bill Wallis.
Plot
Imperium tells the story of Cicero's early career until the point at which he becomes a consul. It follows three main events: the trial of Gaius Verres (a corrupt governor); a political crisis involving Pompey the Great and his arch-rival Crassus; and Cicero's election campaign and election as consul.Reception
Imperium was well received by the reading public – it received mostly very favorable reviews on Amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
– and by critics. In The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Marcel Theroux
Marcel Theroux
Marcel Raymond Theroux is a British novelist and broadcaster. He wrote The Stranger in The Earth and The Confessions of Mycroft Holmes: a paper chase for which he won the Somerset Maugham Award in 2002. His third novel, A Blow to the Heart, was published by Faber in 2006. His fourth, Far North was...
called the book "meticulous, absorbing, informative" and "gripping", although he notes that Cicero the man remains an enigma and considers strained the novel's efforts to draw parallels to the war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
s reviewer, Manda Scott
Manda Scott
Manda Scott is a veterinary surgeon and writer. Born and educated in Glasgow, Scotland, she trained at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine and now lives and works in Shropshire, sharing her life with her partner, Inca the lurcher and other assorted wildlife. She is known...
, was enthusiastic, calling the book "a joy to read in every way, and as a mirror to the politics of our present age [it] has no equal". In The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Tom Holland
Tom Holland (author)
-Biography:Holland was born near Oxford and brought up in the village of Broadchalke near Salisbury, England. His younger brother is the historian and novelist James Holland...
praises Harris's scrupulous reliance on the original sources while retaining "his trademark readability"; in Holland's view, "genres ancient and modern" – classical Latin prose and today's thriller – "have rarely been so skilfully synthesised."
Release details
- 2006, UK, Hutchinson (ISBN 0-09-180095-1), Pub date 4 September 2006, hardback (First edition)
- 2006, UK, Simon & Schuster (ISBN 0-7432-6603-X), Pub date 26 September 2006, hardback
External links
- A little bit of politics (interview), Observer, 3 September 2006
- http://books.guardian.co.uk/digestedread/story/0,,1869627,00.html'Digested read' (parody) by John CraceJohn CraceJohn Crace may refer to:*John Dibblee Crace, British interior designer*John Gregory Crace , English interior designer*Sir John Gregory Crace, British rear admiral*John Crace , British journalist...
] - Der letzte Republikaner (interview, German), Telepolis, 11 November 2006