Empire (harris)

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Imperium is a historical novel by the British writer Robert Harris . The work forms the first part of a trilogy biography of the Roman lawyer, politician and speaker Marcus Tullius Cicero . The book was published by Hutchinson on September 4, 2006, and the German translation by Wolfgang Müller was published by Heyne Verlag that same month .

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A detailed description of the plot is dispensed with with reference to Cicero's biography .

The plot of the novel is portrayed from the perspective of Cicero's house slave and scribe Tiro . The biography is largely based on Cicero's traditional career and thus plays against the background of the decline of the Roman Republic . Conceived as the first book in a trilogy, Imperium describes the rise of Cicero, while the following two books are devoted to the rule and fall of the politician. The second volume, Titan , was published in 2009. Dictator , the third and final volume in the trilogy, was published in 2015.

The first part of the book covers the period between 79 BC. BC and 70 BC And deals with the training of the young senator , his election as aedile and the court hearings against Gaius Verres . The second part of the work (68 BC to 64 BC) is devoted to Cicero's successful candidacy for the office of praetor as well as the election campaign and the election to the consul for 63 BC. Chr.

Reviews

Ijoma Mangold certifies Harris in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an "exciting told, very clever political thriller" the "incarnations of power perfectly captured" to have. In the Berliner Zeitung , Wolfgang Fuhrmann sums up that Robert Harris is the “master of the historical suspense novel” and recommends his portrayal of Cicero as a “complex historical figure” in this context , but denies the work the “ thriller character” certified by the publisher and other reviewers .

The “awareness of moral gray values” makes the book a “astute commentary even on the course of time today” , says Fuhrmann. The literary critic Denis Scheck also attests to the author that with his "references to today's political personnel (...) he is telling freshly about the present."

Allan Massie rates Imperium in the Daily Telegraph as the author's best novel to date:

"It is Robert Harris' best book so far, a fast-paced and rousing tale, extensively detailed, thoroughly researched and above all - more importantly - thoroughly thought out."

- Allan Massie

Massie further attests to Harris "the uncanny gift (...) to conjure up the atmosphere of dramatic moments."

literature

  • Robert Harris: Empire . Hutchinson, London 2006. ISBN 0-09-180095-1 . (Original title)
  • Robert Harris: Empire . Heyne Verlag, Munich 2006. ISBN 3-453-26538-6 . (German translation by Wolfgang Müller)
  • Robert Harris: Empire . Random House Audio, 2006. ISBN 3-86604-327-9 . (Audio book, six audio CDs, 398 min., Spoken by Christian Berkel)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ijoma Mangold: Cicero has a long spoon. ( Memento of October 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), review in: Süddeutsche Zeitung , December 12, 2006
  2. ^ Wolfgang Fuhrmann: September 11th of the Roman Republic. In: Berliner Zeitung , December 14, 2006
  3. ↑ Denis Scheck: Denis Scheck recommends - Robert Harris. ( Memento from August 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) on DasErste.de
  4. ↑ Allan Massie: The splendor and squalor did what Rome . In: Daily Telegraph , September 5, 2006: "It is Robert Harris's best so far, rapid and compelling in narrative, copious in detail, thoroughly researched but also, which is more important, thoroughly imagined."
  5. ^ Ibid: "Harris has the uncanny gift of evoking the atmosphere of dramatic moments."