Pride of Carthage: A Novel of Hannibal [Hardcover]

David Anthony Durham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 2005

An epic work of literary fiction about the superb military leader of Carthage, Hannibal Barca, and his struggle against the mighty Roman Republic.

With a vast cast of characters and nationalities, twists of fate, and tales of inspired leadership, David Anthony Durham perfectly captures the legendary Hannibal's world in Pride of Carthage. Beginning in ancient Spain, where Hannibal's father had carved out a Carthaginian empire, the novel traces the origins of the war, the opening moves, and Hannibal's inspired choice to attack Rome via a land route most believed impossible. In graphic, panoramic prose, Durham describes the battles, including the icy slaughter of the Trebia; the mist-shrouded battle along Lake Trasimene; the battle of Cannae, in which Hannibal's outnumbered force surrounded and decimated seventy thousand Romans in a single afternoon; and Zama, the hard slog that proved to be the decisive contest.
Along the way we meet a variety of major historical figures on both sides of the conflict, as well as characters representing the vast array of other ethnicities who played a part in the war: Iberians and Gauls, Numidians and Libyans, Macedonians and Moors. Hannibal's family is brought to life: his wife, mother, sisters, and young son, as is Publius Scipio, the young Roman who was the only match for Hannibal's genius on the field of battle — and who eventually defeated him.
Pride of Carthage is a stunning achievement in historical fiction, one that will transport readers to a world of mesmerizing authenticity of character, event, and detail.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Known for his novels of African-American life in 19th-century America (Gabriel's Story; Walk Through Darkness), Durham leaps continents and centuries to tell the epic story of Hannibal and his march on Rome in this heady, richly textured novel. After Hannibal assumes command of the Carthaginian army in Spain and conquers the Roman city of Saguntum, Carthage refuses to accept Rome's demand that it abandon the city, precipitating the Second Punic War. In 218 B.C., Hannibal begins his daring march toward Rome, leading an army of upward of 100,000—complete with elephants and cavalry—over the Pyrenees, across the Rhône and through the snowcapped Alps. Ill prepared for the frigid weather, pummeled by avalanches and harassed by Celtic tribes, the army arrives in Italy reduced to perhaps 30,000. Against all odds, Hannibal brings his soldiers through the tortuous marshes of the Arno, and traps and massacres a large Roman force at Lake Trasimene and again at Cannae. The novel's grand sweep is balanced by intimate portraits of Hannibal, his family, his allies and his enemies, as well as by the stories of two humble characters: Imco Vaca, a soldier, and Aradna, a camp follower, who meet and fall in love as the saga moves inexorably toward an account of the beheading of Hannibal's brother and Hannibal's eventual defeat at the gates of Rome. Durham weaves abundant psychological, military and political detail into this vivid account of one of the most romanticized periods of history.
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From Bookmarks Magazine

Durham (Walk Through Darkness, Gabriel’s Story) offers a compelling study in contrasts. Pride of Carthage is at once a sweeping saga, an intimate portrait of an individual, a military history, and a tale about love, devotion, and loyalty. Critics hailed such plays in scale, praising Durham for pulling off the risks of writing a panoramic history of epic battles while capturing the dramas of individuals, from Roman generals to North African kings, foot soldiers, and former slaves. Only The New York Times Book Review faulted the subplots involving Imco Vaca and Aradna as “soap operatic.” Overall, the novel is a compelling, well-executed work.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1St Edition edition (January 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385506031
• ISBN-13: 978-0385506038
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fortune's Fate, March 29, 2005

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Seachranaiche (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Pride of Carthage: A Novel of Hannibal (Hardcover)

Make no mistake, there are issues with this book, but David Anthony Durham has done such an incredible job of bringing Hannibal and the Second Punic War to life that I rate "Pride of Carthage" five stars anyway. Hannibal's story of war, struggle, revenge, and hate is one of the most fascinating and evocative stories in human history, but Hannibal's story comes to us through only a couple of classical sources: the larger events of the period are known, but the details passed into antiquity after the Romans razed the city of Carthage and Carthage's entire culture during the Third Punic War. To know Hannibal, then, we must resort to fiction. Several authors have taken on Hannibal's life, including John Maddox Roberts and Ross Leckie. Their books are good reading, but Durham has taken Hannibal's story to an entirely new level, with a fully developed, multi-dimensional Hannibal character, and supporting characters who become so real we feel that they must be historical people rather than fictional characters.

Remember as you read that this is a fiction-Durham has developed his characters so well that it is hard to know what is fact and what is not. This is the first issue I have with the book. While this is a novel and should not be considered a historical reference, Durham does not include the usual pages of explanations and qualifiers: he does not tell the reader what he has invented. The reader unfamiliar with the history of the period probably will not care about this, but they risk passing on what they have read as fact. Secondly, Durham starts to run out of steam toward the end. Events that covered fifteen years are compressed into a period of time that cannot be calculated until a single sentence in which Durham mentions how long Hannibal had been separated from his son. Durham pours so much into Hannibal's early story that it seems as if Durham was just worn out by the time the story comes to an end. Read the book anyway-it is still very enjoyable-and remember that at the end of this book, Fortune and Fate were not yet done with Hannibal-he would go on to live for another nineteen years or so in a life so tragic that Shakespeare couldn't have written it more so. This later period of Hannibal's life could warrant its own book.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely and Timeless, January 20, 2005

By 

Gerard F. Leblanc (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pride of Carthage: A Novel of Hannibal (Hardcover)

I was fascinated by the timeless story of Hannibal, one of the true icons of military history. I have never heard the epic of his Iberian campaigns and his quest for Rome told with such detail - be it historically accurate or provided by the author's craft.

DAD draws you into what this fascinating commander and his brothers' lives might have been like - beyond just the bloodshed and battle - by telling it through some gritty characters who have pretty fascinating stories themselves. There's all kinds in this book!

I kept thinking about how this story of military conquest gave great descriptions of the way that war *was* waged, and how politics still affects the way that wars are waged today. Rome was a superpower, and they had a certain logic to their strategies that Hannibal was able to exploit, even when out numbered. Understanding the enemy, or not understanding the enemy can mean all the difference. I found this story to be a timely look at how our military leaders today still founder in campaigns that they commit to, without the support of their governing bodies, but still fight on, even to their own demise.

I liked historical fiction aspects of this book, but I think that anyone could be drawn to the way that DAD reveals a story and keeps the pace. I found myself returning from work each day looking forward to when I could re-enter the world that was waiting there for me.

I have read two previous DAD books, this one is much more ambitious. Pride of Carthage is more complex, more lusty, more violent, and more entertaining. There is a accessibility to the way that DAD writes. He gets images across without bogging you down, and has a great way of hitting you with an unexpected nugget just when you need one.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating portrayal of Hannibal and the Punic War, January 25, 2005

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O. roussis - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pride of Carthage: A Novel of Hannibal (Hardcover)

Before I read this book all I knew about Hannibal was he attacked Rome with some elephants. Pride of Carthage is a hefty undertaking but well worth the time to read and in fact I found myself reading it every spare moment I had until I finished it. Pride of Carthage has a large cast of characters and while at first I thought the book was going to be a lot of military maneuvers (there were plenty)Durham also took the time to develop interesting characters other than Hannibal. I particularly liked the view of the common soldier rising through the ranks, the young Roman tribune and Hannibals wife and sisters. These other stories fleshed out Hannibals own deeds and gave some real insight into how it was to live during this period of history. The Punic Wars effected everyone in North Africa, Spain and Italy not just the soldiers fighting and it was a very brutal war for all involved. This book was fascinating and well written and unbeatable combination and I truly enjoyed every page of it.