Marcus Aurelius: Warrior, Philosopher, Emperor - Rilegato

McLynn, Frank

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0224072927 ISBN 13: 9780224072922

Casa editrice: Bodley Head, 2009

Riassunto

* Marcus Aurelius - the last of Rome's 'five good emperors' - is the one great figure of antiquity who still speaks to us today, nearly 2,000 years after his death. We may thrill to the exploits of Alexander the Great, Hannibal or Julius Caesar but the only voice from the Greco-Roman world that still seems to have contemporary relevance is that of the man who ruled the Roman Empire from 161 to 180 AD.

* Singled out by Hadrian as a future emperor Marcus was educated by some of the greatest scholars of his day. His correspondence with his Latin teacher Fronto provides many insights into his emerging character and his growing interest in philosophy. When he assumed the throne he issued numerous reforms favouring the less privileged, while the status of Christians remained unchanged: they were legally punishable and were subject to persecution.

* Marcus fought the Parthians in the East, the German tribes in the North but finally succumbed to a plague which, for much of his reign, swept through the Empire. His Meditations, written while he was campaigning between 170 and 180, has been called the 'gospel of his life' and compared by John Stuart Mill to the Sermon on the Mount. A guide to how we should live, it holds out the prospect of spirituality for atheists, happiness without heaven, and morality without religion. It remains one of the most widely-read books from the Classical world.

* Marcus' reign foreshadowed the eventual decline and fall of the Roman Empire, though his life itself represents the fulfilment of Plato's famous dictum that mankind will prosper only when philosophers are rulers and rulers philosophers. Marcus Aurelius, based on all available original sources as well as secondary scholarship in five languages, promises to be the definitive and most vivid biography to date of this monumental historical figure.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

"Impressively well-researched and unfailingly engaging" (John Dillon The Irish Times)

"[A] compendious and thought-provoking study" (Boris Johnson Mail on Sunday)

"McLynn has written a huge, erudite survey of the social, cultural, economic and political world of the second century AD rather than a mere biography of Marcus Aurelius...there is much to enjoy here and even more to be learned. There is a splendid verve to McLynn's writing" (Allan Massie Literary Review)

"If you like your history feisty, opinionated and judgmental McLynn is the man for you... it certainly makes for a terrific read." (Peter Jones BBC History Magazine)

Descrizione del libro:

The vivid, magisterial and long-awaited biography of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor - and embodiment of the philosopher's king - whose life and works still speak to us 2,000 years after his death.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Bodley Head
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0224072927
• ISBN 13: 9780224072922
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 704