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Caesar Life of a Colossus Adrian Goldsworthy Books

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Caesar Life of a Colossus Adrian Goldsworthy Books

The reader faces a machine gun volley of facts. It seems that just about every appointment, every battle and every dispute is presented - and since he was undeniably a 'colossus', there are very many of these. What fails to emerge from this is a revealing insight into the character of the man himself. He was a talented writer, a compelling orator and a brilliant general, but this will have been known to the reader from the outset. About a quarter of the way through this very long book, I got used to this approach and hung on, hoping for a great deal more information about the aspects of Caesar's life in which I was most interested: the relationship with Cleopatra and the assassination. Alas, though, whilst the style did not change - it was still a machine gun volley of facts - my response did. It came home to me at this point that what I craved was analysis and this is the vital ingredient missing from the book. I am much better informed about the events in his life than I had been, but I do not feel much insight into the character of the man.


Tags : Amazon.com: Caesar: Life of a Colossus (8580000981896): Adrian Goldsworthy: Books,Adrian Goldsworthy,Caesar: Life of a Colossus,Yale University Press,0300120486,SN-08072012-2657,Royalty,Generals;Rome;Biography.,Heads of state;Rome;Biography.,Rome;History;Republic, 265-30 B.C.,Ancient - Rome,Ancient Rome - History,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY General,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & Autobiography Royalty,Biography Autobiography,Biography And Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,Caesar, Julius,Generals,Heads of state,Historical - General,Rome

Caesar Life of a Colossus Adrian Goldsworthy Books Reviews

This is a highly readable, balanced account of a dramatic life. The impact and scope of Julius Caesar's life is hard to overstate -- but it is possible. As Goldsworthy says, he was a colossus. The tale is so amazing, so legendary that it is hard to believe it wasn't all inevitable. But the beauty of Goldsworthy's book is that he knows both his material and how to communicate current historical research to lay readers. There is a delightful tone to this book. Goldsworthy is not afraid to say what we do not and cannot know about Caesar's life. At the same time he clearly enjoys this narrative and admires the man. He moves through Caesars early life and his participation in the aristocracy of Rome. There are careful descriptions of Caesar's many military campaigns and skill in bringing Gaul, Africa and Spain under political control. We see him cross the Rubicon and defeat all rivals becoming dictator. All this is set in the larger context of the social and political culture of first century BC.
I'm a relative novice on Roman history, and this is the first book I picked up to brush up on the period. It proved to be an excellent choice. Goldsworthy writes with a wonderful narrative flair, bringing to life the story of this remarkable figure. Although among the most celebrated, or vilified, figures in Western history, this biography constantly reminds us that Caesar's rise to power and eventual fall were never inevitable; his early career was unexceptional and it was not until after his tenure as consul that he began a course that would lead him to tower above all his contemporaries in the historical record. Even then, he was the clear junior partner in the first triumvirate, lagging behind the (then) better know Crassus and Pompey. Goldworthy's account of Caesar's military triumphs in Gaul is lively and engaging, and he makes a strong case for the general reliability of Caesar's Commentaries while also pointing out episodes where we do well to view them critically. His coverage of the civil war with Pompey, especially the events leading to it, felt a bit truncated. I would have liked a little more exploration of the political situation in Rome that caused Caesar to take the incredibly drastic step that he did of waging war against the Republic. His discussion of the fatal crossing of the Rubicon, however, does an excellent job of cutting through the mythology while still conveying the very genuine drama of the occasion. Given the short time Caesar actually spent as dictator, and the lamentable lack of sources that we have for his thought process at the time, Goldsworthy admits that his discussion of Caesar's intentions once he achieved ultimate power necessarily relies heavily on conjecture. I found his characterization convincing though. I'm probably the only one complaining that this book was too short, but I actually would have liked to see the epilogue on portrayals of Caesar in popular culture be much longer; that could be another book in itself. Overall, this highly engaging narrative should appeal to scholars and general readers alike, and has left me searching for Goldsworthy's other works.
I love reading on my . But, I strongly suggest buying the printed version of this book rather than the version. The version did not have bookmarks to skip from one chapter to the next, it did not have links between footnotes and the text, and it did not have links between the index and the text. The index and notes use page numbers that are meaningless in this version. The only part with links was the Table of Contents. Basically, you can read the book straight through, but you cannot easily find something particular if you want to do so.

Having said that, I really think you should actually buy this book (in printed form) if you care to learn about Julius Caesar. The research, details, and writing were great. The author explicitly stated when details were known, estimated, or merely speculated. And, the bases for estimations and speculations were given. For example, much of Julius Caesar's early life is not known explicitly. So, the author speculated many details based on what would have been expected of a young man at his social level who was to pursue a public career.

So, buy it. But, buy the printed book.
The reader faces a machine gun volley of facts. It seems that just about every appointment, every battle and every dispute is presented - and since he was undeniably a 'colossus', there are very many of these. What fails to emerge from this is a revealing insight into the character of the man himself. He was a talented writer, a compelling orator and a brilliant general, but this will have been known to the reader from the outset. About a quarter of the way through this very long book, I got used to this approach and hung on, hoping for a great deal more information about the aspects of Caesar's life in which I was most interested the relationship with Cleopatra and the assassination. Alas, though, whilst the style did not change - it was still a machine gun volley of facts - my response did. It came home to me at this point that what I craved was analysis and this is the vital ingredient missing from the book. I am much better informed about the events in his life than I had been, but I do not feel much insight into the character of the man.