Cesare: Il grande giocatore by Antonio SpinosaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I recently finished a biography of Silla, and in my review I wrote:
"It seems odd to me that his reputation is by and large a pretty bad one, while someone like Julius Caesar, who wanted to remain dictator and ended up being stabbed to death, is so often revered."
Well, now I take it all back.
This isn't my first biography of Caesar (nor my second), but it is probably the best. While it is true that he was stabbed to death, he was able to conquer a much larger area than Silla ever was (in fact, arguably more than Alexander the Great, since it didn't all just disintegrate after his death like Alexander's) . He also went to Britain, Germany, conquered France and Spain, the near East, visited Troy, conquered Egypt, traveled down the Nile with Cleopatra, and then came back and ruled Rome (for a short amount of time anyway). He also managed to win every war he was in, including one against Pompeii, and he wrote many books in the meantime. So, all in all a pretty full life.
This book was excellent in delving into the politics and methods of his decisions and battles. For example, how he provoked Ariovistus's anger as an excuse to declare war on him (he couldn't just declare war without good reason). The story about his kidnapping by pirates in his younger years is always excellent.
If you wish to read a biography of Caesar, this is the best one I've come across. Unfortunately I don't think it is available in Italian (hint hint, I'm available to translate it, Mondadori!)
Some interesting notes:
Caesar was granted the powers to establish a new city of 5,000 people at the foot of the Alps he called Novum Comum (Como). p. 134
The name Caesar was given to his ancestor who fought in the Punic wars (against Hannibal), because he apparently struck down an elephant, and Caesar meant elephant in the Punic language.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment