Nero [Paperback]

David Wishart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 1997

The one 'fact' that everyone knows about Emperor Nero is that he fiddled while Rome burned. But what elements of nature and nuture combined to make this notorious character? An entertaining view is presented by Titus Petronius, Nero's pleasure-loving Advisor on Taste, through whose eyes we see the tumultuous, and ultimately tragic, life of the emperor. But is it a view we can trust? As their relationship develops, Petronius finds to his dismay that his personal sympathies lie more with the mad emperor than with the forces that seek to keep him in check. Caught between his own beliefs and the political realities of his time, he finds himself walking a path which will lead him and others inevitably to disaster.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Wishart shows himself entertainingly able to project himself into the daily realities of ancient times.' -- The Scotsman 'A history lesson without tears!' -- Hartlepool Mail 'gripping ... Chandler meets Robert Graves and John Barth' -- TLS

About the Author

David Wishart studied Classics at Edinburgh University. He then taught Latin and Greek in school for four years and after this retrained as a teacher of EFL. He lived and worked abroad for eleven years, working in Kuwait, Greece and Saudi Arabia, and now lives with his wife and family in Scotland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Sceptre (April 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340667028
• ISBN-13: 978-0340667026
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,140,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seneca's memoirs, in fictional form, January 18, 2008

By 

Eric Oppen (Iowa Falls, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nero (Hardcover)

This book is presented as though it were dictated by Seneca, the Roman writer, as he was committing suicide on the orders of the emperor Nero. While the modern language can jar sometimes (the Romans did not know about chimpanzees, and would not be likely to refer to someone fouling his pants) it's a good read.

Nero is presented as a person with real artistic talent, the victim of a monster-mother...but, at seventh and last, someone who chose evil because he preferred it.