The Gladiators (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Gladiators is the name of Arthur Koestler
's novel about the Spartacus
revolt in the Roman Republic
. Although not as famous as Howard Fast
's novel Spartacus (source material for Kubrick's 1960 film
), The Gladiators is interesting in its own right, because Koestler is not merely writing about the original slave revolt, but the 20th century left in Europe. Spartacus was an inspiration to Communists in Europe, and one group even named themselves the Spartacists in memory of him.
Koestler took the controversial view that one of Spartacus' companions was an Essene and that his views influenced the revolt, and the idea of the utopian "Sun City" which the revolt would found. The historical research is sometimes shaky, and the book contains a number of anachronism
s, including fire escape
s on Roman houses.
The book forms a trilogy with Darkness at Noon
, and Arrival and Departure
on idealism going wrong, a common theme in Koestler's work and life. Its arrival was timely, being written on the brink of World War II
. It was originally written in Hungarian
.
Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
's novel about the Spartacus
Spartacus
Spartacus was a famous leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Little is known about Spartacus beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes contradictory and may not always be reliable...
revolt in the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. Although not as famous as Howard Fast
Howard Fast
Howard Melvin Fast was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.-Early life:Fast was born in New York City...
's novel Spartacus (source material for Kubrick's 1960 film
Spartacus (film)
Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel of the same name by Howard Fast...
), The Gladiators is interesting in its own right, because Koestler is not merely writing about the original slave revolt, but the 20th century left in Europe. Spartacus was an inspiration to Communists in Europe, and one group even named themselves the Spartacists in memory of him.
Koestler took the controversial view that one of Spartacus' companions was an Essene and that his views influenced the revolt, and the idea of the utopian "Sun City" which the revolt would found. The historical research is sometimes shaky, and the book contains a number of anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
s, including fire escape
Fire escape
A fire escape is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency that makes the stairwells inside a building inaccessible...
s on Roman houses.
The book forms a trilogy with Darkness at Noon
Darkness at Noon
Darkness at Noon is a novel by the Hungarian-born British novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940...
, and Arrival and Departure
Arrival and Departure
Arrival and Departure is the third novel of Arthur Koestler's trilogy concerning the conflict between morality and expediency . The first volume, The Gladiators, is about the subversion of the Spartacus revolt, and the second, Darkness at Noon, is the celebrated novel about the Soviet Show trials...
on idealism going wrong, a common theme in Koestler's work and life. Its arrival was timely, being written on the brink of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was originally written in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
.
See also
- Spartacus, the 1951 novel by Howard FastHoward FastHoward Melvin Fast was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.-Early life:Fast was born in New York City...
, on which the Kubrick film was based. - Spartacus, 1931 novel by Scottish writer, Lewis Grassic GibbonLewis Grassic GibbonLewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell , a Scottish writer.-Biography:...