Dictator, the third instalment in Robert Harris’s trilogy of novels following the rise and fall of the Roman statesman and orator Cicero, marks the culmination of 12 years of work and a remarkable literary achievement in the marshalling and distillation of the source material alone. Those turbulent years of the first century BC that saw the collapse of the Roman republic and the transition to empire remain one of the best-documented periods of classical history, and so many of Cicero’s writings have survived that Harris is able to blend his hero’s own words seamlessly with invented conversations to create a full-blooded and authentic portrait of this extraordinary politician and philosopher. I have not read Imperium (Book #1) or Lustrum (Book #2), yet, but if this last book in the trilogy is anything to go by, I am going to enjoy the first two books very much. The books are amazingly detailed and realized, with every peculiarity of Roman life and political system explored, and with so many similarities to our own society and political system. Cicero is a thoroughly engaging character, a self-made man who is heavily flawed and is often forced to compromise, a politician who fights with his wit and clever scheming. The depictions of well-known Roman figures such as Caesar, Marc Antony, and Octavian are similarly very well depicted.

PMQ, short story in the collection Speaking with the Angel. London: Penguin, 2 November 2000 ISBN 978-0-14-029678-5 On 2 December 2010, Harris appeared on the radio programme Desert Island Discs, when he spoke about his childhood and his friendships with Tony Blair and Roman Polanski. Good and Faithful Servant: The Unauthorized Biography of Bernard Ingham. London: Faber and Faber, December 1990 ISBN 978-0-571-16108-9 Cicero has retired from politics. Julius Caesar – dictator, and commander of Rome’s armies – is assassinated. Cicero sees his death as an opportunity to restore the Republic but the assassins, Brutus and Cassius, dither as power in Rome begins to fall into the lap of Mark Antony.Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries. London: Faber and Faber, 17 February 1986 ISBN 978-0-571-13557-8 While there is life there is hope". - Cicero. These words were spoken by a man who had seen it all and continued to believe in the hope, the promise of a free society in which people could speak their mind. This defender of democracy is relevant today and will remain so because wherever there is democracy there are those with money and a willingness to use violence who will threaten liberty for their own power and glory. Democracy is an equilibrium. Its balance is maintained by people who are brave enough to vote and speak out. countering would be leaders who use fear and intimidation to erode freedom. Fascinating window into the last 15 years of the life of Cicero, as narrated by his confidential secretary, Tiro. Tiro tells us he has recreated the story from Cicero's notes, correspondence, speeches, and of course Tiro's own eyewitness account of events. The eponymous Dictator of the title, who overshadows the whole story is, of course, Julius Caesar; the man also propels much of the action and Cicero's decisions. We see Cicero's exile, return to Rome, regaining his fame and the destruction of the Republic, including his death. We also follow Cicero's family life, both joyful and unhappy events. As the sibyl has told his wife Terentia: first there will be Three rulers, then Two, then One--and finally, None. It follows her prediction until the One--Emperor Augustus--arises and takes power. "None" will follow -- when? Very readable and well written. In the class of McCullough's multi-volume work on the Roman Republic, but **much** more accessible--this was an excellent finish to Harris's Cicero trilogy. Cicero, Tiro, family, and other main characters were fully fleshed out. An interesting bit of trivia to me was that we still use remnants of Tiro's shorthand system today: &, etc., e.g., i.e., according to the Foreword. Robert Harris writes another fantastic novel, his second Roman novel (after “Pompeii”) and the first to feature Cicero as main character. He effortlessly creates the Roman world for the reader so that you can really see and feel what it’s like to live in this time, detailing the numerous social structures and customs that are completely alien to 21st century people. He brilliantly chooses Cicero’s slave Tiro to be the narrator of the story, a man who was Cicero’s right hand man but also created short-hand so that it seems plausible that so much detail could be put into the book when someone who was there could conceivably have recorded it all.

Gotcha! The Government, the Media and the Falklands Crisis. London: Faber and Faber, January 1983 ISBN 978-0-571-13052-8 Loughrey, Clarisse (24 June 2018). "Robert Harris says he won't change position on Roman Polanski 'because the fashion has changed' ". Independent.co.uk.

You may also like

His second novel, Enigma, portrayed the breaking of the German Enigma cipher during the Second World War at Cambridge University and Bletchley Park. It was adapted as a film by writer Tom Stoppard, starring Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet, in 2001. [3] Archangel (1998) [ edit ]