Mary Beard (1) (1955–)

The Emperor of Rome follows the lifestyle, mythologies, supporting characters that made a Roman Emperor a Roman Emperor. The book is framed by the peculiar written history of Elagabalus, the infamously evil, infamously lascivious emperor who (we're told) wished to become a woman. I'm embarrassed to say I'd fallen for the story, and Beard's thesis throughout challenges the idea of basically everything we know about emperors as we know it.

The author, through thematic chapters rather than chronological, shows the political machinations underpinning the stories that have been passed down for nearly two millennia. As the chapters are organized by themes, there are some very interesting ones (and less interesting ones). As always, I'm drawn to information on the lower classes and women, but overall it is a solid sampling of the world of what a Roman Emperor was supposed to be.

While I am rating this 3.5 stars here, it was a lot less engaging than SPQR. I often took breaks with it over the month and a half it took to get through, which never happened with the former book. I rate quite harshly in comparison to other readers, so I have to reiterate that The Emperor of Rome is a solid book worth picking up, but if it drags for you, don't feel bad. The thematic framing is good for casual reading but makes it very difficult to ground yourself in a period for vigorous learning. It's not so much a historical text in the traditional way but a social one. It's a very minute difference in this text, but nevertheless something I noticed.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!… (lisätietoja)

¿Fanáticos del control, adictos al trabajo o adolescentes malcriados? ¿Cómo eran realmente los emperadores de Roma?

En SPQR, Mary Beard narró la historia milenaria de la antigua Roma. En este nuevo libro centra su atención en los emperadores que gobernaron el Imperio romano para darnos una versión matizada y más precisa de estas glorificadas figuras clásicas. Desde Julio César (asesinado en el 44 a.C.) hasta Alejandro Severo (asesinado en el 235 d.C.), pasando por el loco de Calígula, el monstruoso Nerón y el filósofo Marco Aurelio, Mary Beard recorre la vida y los mitos de los grandes gobernantes romanos y nos plantea grandes preguntas: ¿qué poder real ostentaban los emperadores?, ¿quién movía los hilos entre bambalinas?, ¿cómo se gobernaba un imperio tan vasto?, ¿realmente estaban las paredes de palacio tan manchadas de sangre?

Para darnos respuesta y acercarnos un poco más a la realidad imperial, Mary Beard sigue los pasos del emperador de cerca: en su hogar y en las carreras, en sus viajes e, incluso, de camino hacia el cielo; nos presenta a sus esposas y amantes, a sus rivales y esclavos, a los bufones y soldados de la corte y a la gente corriente que le entregaba cartas de súplica. Emperador de Roma nos lleva directamente hasta el corazón de Roma, y de nuestras fantasías sobre lo que era ser romano, a través de un relato como nunca antes se había contado.… (lisätietoja)

Mary Beard is a British historian specializing in the period of the Roman empire. Her new book, “Emperor of Rome,” is not so much a series of biographies of those individuals of antiquity, but rather is an exploration of the world that the emperors inhabited, both as the leaders of the vast empire and as individuals living in that place and time. The book covers the period from Augustus (the first actual Emperor of Rome; Julius Caesar didn’t have that title) to Alexander Severus, who was assassinated in AD/CE 235. Each chapter is devoted to a particular aspect of Roman life, or at least elite Roman life, from palace life to what we would call state dinners to work life to vacation time. Although there are no footnotes (I tend to love footnotes, especially those that tell a little anecdote or joke that doesn’t quite fit in the main narrative body but that illuminates the subject and amuses the reader), Professor Beard includes very extensive bibliographical notes for each chapter, providing her sources and also suggesting related sites that may be visited by the reader. Her writing style is very conversational, which makes reading her work no chore at all, and the information she provides is both interesting in itself and well-supported by her arguments. I haven’t read much nonfiction recently, and this is an excellent way to end that drought; recommended!… (lisätietoja)

Oh Mary Beard! I am so disappointed in you. I love virtually everything else you write. Your knowledge of the world is global and deep. This book however is not. I think this would be lovely for someone who hasn't read anything else, who doesn't know about history, who hasn't grown up over the last 50 years or so. For me, it wasn't anything new. And that made me sad.

For those who are thinking about reading this book, do it. Anything by Mary Beard is better than virtually anything else you could read in the nonfiction side of writing. Then, go read her other books. Spend the time. You won't regret it.… (lisätietoja)