![]() ![]() More compellingly than most biographies, Goldsworthy's exhaustive, lucid, elegantly written life makes its subject the embodiment of his age. The author's vivid portrait of the late Roman Republic that Caesar toppled is correspondingly jaundiced: its politics are about nothing except the personal ambitions of powerful men, and chaos, corruption and violence reign beneath the ritualistic niceties of republican procedure. In his telling, Caesar's massacres and group enslavements, though "utterly ruthless," are considered and pragmatic, not wanton, and the conqueror seems to possess a moderation and magnanimity that sprang from the same idealized self-image that fed his ambition. Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of Julius Caesars life, Adrian Goldsworthy covers not only the great Roman emperors accomplishments as charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful dictator but also lesser-known chapters. But he doesn't stint on the nonmartial aspects of Caesar's life-his dandyism, his flagrant womanizing (which didn't stop enemies from gay-baiting him), his supple political genius and the flair for drama and showmanship that cowed mutinous legionaries and courted Rome's restive masses. Check out this great listen on Audible.ca. Some who have sniffed that Goldsworthy's treatment is not comprehensive enough miss the point - this is supposed to be a one-volume biography of Caesar and the book is 519 pages as is without chasing after the disputes between Crassus and Pompey. ) gives a comprehensive, vigorous account of Caesar's conquest of Gaul and his victories in the civil war that made him master of Rome. Goldsworthy's Caesar is an extraordinarily well-written one-volume biography. Military historian Goldsworthy ( The Complete Roman Army The man who virtually defined the West's concept of leadership comes alive in this splendid biography. ![]()
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