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Historia secreta par Procopio de Cesarea
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Historia secreta (édition 2014)

par Procopio de Cesarea (Auteur), Soliman El-Azir (Traducteur)

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1,5402711,591 (3.68)1 / 118
L'imagination la plus feconde ne saurait depasser les sombres horreurs du tableau que nous offre l'Histoire secrete. Qu'on se figure une societe denuee de sens moral, ou la grossiere avidite de natures perverses soit l'unique loi, un enfer, ou deux funestes genies (Justinien et Theodora) regnent en vue du mal, le cultivent avec art, l'aiment pour lui-meme et pour le plaisir qu'ils trouvent a le faire, une venalite inouie, une degradation de m'urs a peine croyable, le vol organise, nulle surete pour les personnes, le bon sens meme atteint et la raison menacee, Byzance transformee tantot en une cage de fous, tantot en un epouvantable coupe-gorge ou l'assassinat de milliers de personnes se commettait de gaiete de coeur et en plein jour, un monde d'empoisonneurs et d'assassins, de frenetiques et de fous; voila l'effroyable cauchemar que deroule en deux cents pages cet ecrit singulier. C'est ainsi qu'Ernest Renan presentait, en 1856, dans un texte reproduit integralement dans ce volume, l'une des oeuvres les plus extraordinaires de tous les temps: l'Histoire secrete du regne de Justinien (Vie siecle), ecrit clandestin dans lequel son auteur, Procope, historiographe officiel de la Cour, revele les effroyables turpitudes de ses maitres.Pierre Maraval, professeur emerite a l'Universite de Paris IV - Sorbonne, nous donne une traduction entierement nouvelle de l'Histoire secrete, la premiere en francais depuis 1856.… (plus d'informations)
Membre:J_Ortega
Titre:Historia secreta
Auteurs:Procopio de Cesarea (Auteur)
Autres auteurs:Soliman El-Azir (Traducteur)
Info:Amazon, Reino Unido
Collections:Votre bibliothèque
Évaluation:
Mots-clés:Historia, Historia antigua, Cultura greco-romana

Information sur l'oeuvre

Histoire secrète par Procopius

  1. 00
    Vie des douze Césars par Suetonius (Michael.Rimmer)
    Michael.Rimmer: Both are 'behind-the-scenes' exposés of the lives of emperors which provided inspiration to Robert Graves.
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    Count Belisarius par Robert Graves (Michael.Rimmer)
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» Voir aussi les 118 mentions

Affichage de 1-5 de 27 (suivant | tout afficher)
Imagine a man with insider knowledge (and probably more than one ducked knife/arrow/poison during his career) and disillusioned with situation around him.

What can he do but write a publication into which he will pour as much of his poison as he can and make sure nobody finds out about it until he is safely dead.

Now lets make some things clear - this is period when people lose life on a basis of a gossip (advancement today is that nobody gets killed but yes it can get complicated) or simply because somebody does not like them (privileges when executioner also writes the laws). Imagine you are a writer with almost ultimate academic status and you have a very good job at court (government join with all the perks but also with all of the dangers because management anger or management change usually meant removal of entire chain). So you get a job to write historical works about the ruler's achievements (Justinian's wars and building achievements) but at the very same moment you witness things that don't go so well with you (one theory says one possible reason for this book was to secure survival in case of regime change, but I think this was product of a grudge because if it weren't I think book would not survive at all, what would be the reasoning?), some possibly set against you personally but, you know, you prefer living. So what do you do? You start writing a very sensitive document and hope nobody finds it while you are alive.

The way rulers are portrayed in my opinion is not an exaggeration at all - they both are rules of life and death, capable schemers and not hesitant when it comes to stab/back-stab whoever needs it. Do we actually think that ruthlessness of old Roman Emperors died with rise of Christianity? In days when Popes were warrior Popes (not to mentione Borgias almost a millennia later - they resonate dont they?) . If you think portrayal is too much - believe me same behavior can be found in any Eastern European country post Berlin Wall fall. Some of these tyrants might be romanticized by West because of anti-Russian sentiment and "open market" approach but believe me it took around 20 years to make sure elected government officials are at least kept responsible and not constantly stealing in some of these states. And now imagine position where you can order cities completely destroyed and everyone killed. You know how they say - power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

And one more thing about the book itself and it possible effect on society. I am very sure that Justinians and Theodora's acts would be that shocking at the time (6th century). This could be shocking in Renaissance period but for contemporaries this would be juicy (to a degree) but condemning to initiate the revolt and overthrow - I dont think so (I mean, even from today's perspective if they had good PR Justy and Thea would not have to worry at all (and yes, that's what our society became)). When you look at what they did it differs not from any of their contemporaries in power or pretending to gain power. These were much cruder times.

And do remember Justinian and Theodora re not the only ones mentioned. There is a plethora of characters in the book that are pillaging and murdering their subjects, that work under protection of Justinian and his wife or suddenly find themselves targeted by them, then forgiven (and possibly killed immediately afterward).

Excellent little book that proves that there is an universal pattern to human behavior. And if you want to see how good is someone give then the ultimate power (but truly you should not do this ever - always elect them for a limited term and do a litmus test). ( )
  Zare | Jan 23, 2024 |
A fascinating if depressing read, an examination of the damage that can be wrought on society by a single person and those encouraged to match them in corruption and avarice. We have learned nothing since this book was written. ( )
  soylentgreen23 | Feb 17, 2023 |
The scandals of the rulers of the Byzantine Empire are chronicled in this engaging narrative. One wonders at the nature of the age and how the rulers maintained the power of the Byzantine Empire. ( )
  jwhenderson | Aug 24, 2022 |
I was prompted to read this account of the life and times of the late Roman/Byzantine emperor Justinian and his consort Theodora from listening to a series of episodes about them on the Rest of History podcast channel this week. Procopius writing in the 6th century AD was one of the last significant historians of the old Roman Empire, despite being from the western Latin half he wrote his works in Greek, the language of the Byzantine Empire based in Constantinople that saw itself as the inheritor of the original Roman Empire. Procopius's original work on the wars Justinian waged to expand the Empire were seen as too uncritical and propagandistic and, as if to compensate, he wrote this work in secret, only to be published after the Emperor's and his own death. Fair enough perhaps, but this work is comically absurd in its exaggerations. His hatred of Justinian and Theodora is such that he says "these two seemed not to be human beings, but veritable demons, and what the poets call vampires: who laid their heads together to see how they could most easily and quickly destroy the race and deeds of men; and assuming human bodies, became man-demons, and so convulsed the world". On various occasions he claims that "Justinian's head vanished, while the rest of his body seemed to ebb and flow" or that "of a sudden the face changed into a shapeless mass of flesh, with neither eyebrows nor eyes in their proper places, nor any other distinguishing feature". Furthermore in a claim wild even by the numerical standards of pre-modern historians, Procopius writes "Examining the countries that he made desolate of inhabitants, I would say he slew a trillion people"; a trillion is some 120 times the total world population even now in 2022, never mind in the 6th century, in the process also blaming the rulers for earthquakes and plagues. The tone of the narrative makes it difficult to take Procopius seriously as a historian, colourful and extravagant (and rather confusing) though it is. ( )
  john257hopper | Aug 12, 2022 |
I've never been a great believer in the idea that there is "pure evil" or "pure good" when it comes to people. And I was never convinced about George W Bush's announcement of "An axis of Evil".....which, by implication, the "pure" side (the Americans and allies) had to eradicate. And, in this book, Procopius goes to great pains to convince us that Justinian and Theodora (his wife) were as close to "pure evil" as it is possible to get. If only half of what he writes about them is true, they were not a nice couple.

And, the fact that Procopius took great pains not to publish the work in his own lifetime says something about his fears for his safety. But surely such a work ..dripping with venom and vitriol...can hardly be regarded as an objective history.

For example:
"For this man (not Justinian in this case) had devoted great attention to sorcerers and supernatural beings, admired the Manichaeans, and was not ashamed openly to profess himself their supporter. Although the Empress was not ignorant of this, she did not withdraw her favour, but resolved on this account to show even greater interest and regard for him than before, for she herself also, from her earliest years, had associated with sorcerers and magicians, since her character and pursuits inclined her towards them. She had great faith in their arts, and placed the greatest confidence in them. It is even said that she did not render Justinian susceptible to her influence so much by her flatteries as by the irresistible power of evil spirits."

And, another example: " The evil deeds of Justinian were so numerous, that time would fail me if I were to attempt to relate them all. It will therefore be sufficient, if I select some of those which will exhibit his whole character to posterity, and which clearly show his dissimulation, his neglect of God, the priesthood, the laws, and the people which showed itself devoted to him. He was utterly without shame; he had no care for the interests or advantage of the state, and did not trouble himself about excusing his misdeeds, or, in fact, about anything else but how he might plunder and appropriate the wealth of the whole world.".

It seems to me to be written as a revengeful act...something to blacken the name of Justinian and his mates. And, in this respect it seems to have been singularly successful.

Procopius, systematically undermines the personal morals of both Theodora and Justinian and then undermines their credibility as leaders, as defenders of the state and as economic managers. I think it is fair to say that there is no good word said of the court of Justinian in the whole book.....maybe apart from individuals who tried to do the right thing but were undone by Justinian and Wife.

Procopius does not shy away from naming individuals and occasions and certainly there is a wealth of detail....so maybe many or all of these events did take place. For example: "About the same time, the chief eunuch of the court, named Euphratas, also died intestate; he left behind him a nephew, who would naturally have succeeded to his property, which was considerable. The Emperor took possession of both fortunes, appointing himself sole heir, not even leaving so much as a three-obol piece to the legal inheritors. Such was the respect Justinian showed for the laws and the kinsmen of his intimate friends. In the same manner, without having the least claim to it, he seized the fortune of Irenaeus, who had died some time before". How would we ever know if this was true or if Procopius was inventing it or exaggerating?

Did I enjoy the book? Hmm....well no. I certainly didn't come away from reading all that hate, feeling better about myself or life in general. Was there some underlying lesson that one could draw from all of this. Maybe there are a few. For instance, you can never be sure that somebody is not going to blacken your name after you are gone. So maybe it's better to be a just and competent ruler than being greedy and incompetent . That much seems obvious. But maybe your name will be blackened anyway by somebody like Procopius for some real or imagined slight or setback. Anyway, "The Secret History" seems to set the standard for "tell-all" books about political dynasties and certainly pulls no punches.

What I didn't learn from all of this was the role that Procopius was playing in all this nastiness. If he was at the court and had access to all these details what was he up to himself? How much of a role was he playing in the evil deeds?
Interesting but not a nice book. I give it 4 stars on account of it's historical significance. ( )
  booktsunami | Dec 19, 2021 |
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Nom de l'auteurRôleType d'auteurŒuvre ?Statut
Procopiusauteur principaltoutes les éditionsconfirmé
Williamson, G. A.Traducteurauteur principalquelques éditionsconfirmé
Atwater, RichardTraducteurauteur secondairequelques éditionsconfirmé
Boak, Arthur E.R.Avant-proposauteur secondairequelques éditionsconfirmé
Dewing, Henry BronsonTraducteurauteur secondairequelques éditionsconfirmé
Linnér, StureTraducteurauteur secondairequelques éditionsconfirmé
Nadaud, AlainIntroductionauteur secondairequelques éditionsconfirmé
Renan, ErnestTraducteurauteur secondairequelques éditionsconfirmé
Sarris, PeterTraducteurauteur secondairequelques éditionsconfirmé
Ziegler, PhilipIntroductionauteur secondairequelques éditionsconfirmé
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In recording everything that the Roman people has experienced in successive wars up to the time of writing I have followed this plan—that of arranging all the events described as far as possible in accordance with the actual times and places.
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L'imagination la plus feconde ne saurait depasser les sombres horreurs du tableau que nous offre l'Histoire secrete. Qu'on se figure une societe denuee de sens moral, ou la grossiere avidite de natures perverses soit l'unique loi, un enfer, ou deux funestes genies (Justinien et Theodora) regnent en vue du mal, le cultivent avec art, l'aiment pour lui-meme et pour le plaisir qu'ils trouvent a le faire, une venalite inouie, une degradation de m'urs a peine croyable, le vol organise, nulle surete pour les personnes, le bon sens meme atteint et la raison menacee, Byzance transformee tantot en une cage de fous, tantot en un epouvantable coupe-gorge ou l'assassinat de milliers de personnes se commettait de gaiete de coeur et en plein jour, un monde d'empoisonneurs et d'assassins, de frenetiques et de fous; voila l'effroyable cauchemar que deroule en deux cents pages cet ecrit singulier. C'est ainsi qu'Ernest Renan presentait, en 1856, dans un texte reproduit integralement dans ce volume, l'une des oeuvres les plus extraordinaires de tous les temps: l'Histoire secrete du regne de Justinien (Vie siecle), ecrit clandestin dans lequel son auteur, Procope, historiographe officiel de la Cour, revele les effroyables turpitudes de ses maitres.Pierre Maraval, professeur emerite a l'Universite de Paris IV - Sorbonne, nous donne une traduction entierement nouvelle de l'Histoire secrete, la premiere en francais depuis 1856.

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