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Chargement... Dictatorpar Robert Harris
Chargement...
Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. Leggibile ma non all'altezza dei libri di Harris ( ) The final years of Cicero’s life were dominated by Caesar's civil war, one of the last politico-military conflicts in the Roman Republic before the establishment of the Roman Empire. The life of a politician, at the time of Cicero, was indeed a noble affair and it was possible for the ordinary common man (plebeian) to be elected as tribune granting him the power to propose and veto legislation. Rome was a society in which the organization of both military and civil life was implemented to the nth degree. Equally it was also a civilization where oratorical skills demanded both the respect and support of the legislative, and yet life was viewed in an unprincipled manner the thrust of a rapier or the wire of the garote only a heartbeat away. Dictator is the third book by Robert Harris in a trilogy about the life of Marcus Tullius Cicero; statesman, lawyer, scholar and philosopher who played a leading role in the politics of the late Roman Republic. The author conveys this important period through the eyes of Tiro, Cicero’s confidential secretary and literary advisor made a freeman in 53BC. By using the voice and observations of Tiro Harris is able to bring alive Rome at this time, in particular the unpredictability and bawdiness that was the watchword of senatorial debate. A large portion of the novel is devoted to Julius Caesar and his attempt to have himself proclaimed Dictator who on his death was officially recognised as a god, the Divine (Divus) Julius…..”His body was glistening, well muscled, and plucked entirely hairless in every respect- a disconcerting affectation which had the effect of emphasising his numerous scars and bruises, presumably picked up on the battlefield. His face was undeniably striking- angular and lean, dominated by dark and penetrating eyes. The overall effect was one of great power, of both the intellect and the will. One could see why men and women alike fell easily under his spell. Set against a background and a time of painful change, with hard fought battles, and eloquent debate on every page Dictator is a superb read and a fitting conclusion to both a wonderful trilogy and history of an important historical figure. Highly recommended. Harris's Cicero can sometimes be hard to sympathize with--he's in many ways a politician, not the man of principle we may have come to expect from the hagiography of the last few centuries. But maybe the point is as mortal and fallible as a mere politician may be, they are infinitely to be preferred to the feral masters of war who come to replace him.
"Yet the real triumph of “Dictator” is how successfully it channels what is perhaps the supreme fascination of ancient Rome: the degree to which it is at once eerily like our own world and yet profoundly alien." "Harris has written smart, gripping thrillers with settings as varied as England during World War II (Enigma, 1995) and the contemporary world of international finance (The Fear Index, 2012), but his Cicero novels are more akin to Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall in their subjects—men of towering intellect and humanity—and in their visceral evocation of history." "Yet its gripping dramas and powerful themes—the fragility of democracy and the fallibility of human beings among them—richly illuminate the conflicts of its era and our own." "Harris's version of the events preceding Caesar's assassination is persuasively realised, and he renders the terrifying uncertainty of its aftermath with such skill that the ensuing betrayal and destruction of the Roman Republic can almost draw a tear." "But Dictator is perhaps the least successful book of the trilogy, for reasons which are largely outside Harris’s control." Appartient à la sérieCicero (3) Prix et récompensesDistinctions
Roman historique. Roman policier (suspense)
À quarante-huit ans, Cicéron, celui qui fut le plus grand orateur de son époque et dont le pouvoir s'étendait même sur César, est un homme brisé. Contraint à l'exil, dépossédé de tout, il essaie de comprendre les raisons de son échec. Mais, selon un de ses propres aphorismes, « tant qu'il y a de la vie, il y a de l'espoir. » En échange de la promesse faite à César de le soutenir, il obtient la permission de rentrer en Italie. Une fois à Rome, il revient petit à petit dans l'arène judiciaire, puis au Sénat, et enfin au pouvoir grâce à ses talents d'écriture. Pour un instant bref mais glorieux, le voilà à nouveau l'homme le plus important de la République. Mais le monde politique est instable et aucun homme d'état, même le plus rusé peut se prévenir de l'ambition et de la corruption des autres. Ce roman revient sur certains des plus célèbres moments-clefs de l'histoire de Rome : la chute de la République, la guerre civile qui a suivi, le meurtre de Pompée et l'assassinat de Jules César. Si son récit est centré sur l'Histoire, le thème qu'il aborde est, lui, intemporel : comment protéger la liberté contre la triple menace de l'ambition personnelle, d'un système électoral dominé par les intérêts financiers, et des guerres coûteuses et sans fin menées en territoire étranger ? [Payot.ch] Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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