Ceasar bio recommendation?

[PennLady]

Mr Penn and I have been watching "Rome," and although I've read two biographies of Cleopatra, I wondered if anyone could suggest one for Julius Caesar. I'm not an expert on the period or anything, so something written more for the layperson would be good, but I'm willing to stretch a little.

ETA: How embarrassing to misspell Caesar in the thread title...

 

[Ironiclaconic]

Mr Penn and I have been watching "Rome," and although I've read two biographies of Cleopatra, I wondered if anyone could suggest one for Julius Caesar. I'm not an expert on the period or anything, so something written more for the layperson would be good, but I'm willing to stretch a little.

ETA: How embarrassing to misspell Caesar in the thread title...

Haven't read a strict bio beyond Plutarch, but Rubicon is an excellent book covering the whole Civil War. Very readable.

 

[PennLady]

Haven't read a strict bio beyond Plutarch, but Rubicon is an excellent book covering the whole Civil War. Very readable.

Thanks, I'll look for that. I'm even willing to try Plutarch.

It occurred to me while watching the series (we finished season one tonight) that most of what I know about that period comes from Shakespeare and the movie "Cleopatra" with Liz Taylor. Which means I realize most of what I know is not a) true or b) historically accurate. So I thought I'd correct that.

 

[TE999]

You might find this website interesting, PennLady.

http://www.roman-colosseum.info/roman-empire/julius-caesar.htm

It has fun facts and etc. on the ol' boy.

 

[PennLady]

Thanks! I just got Plutarch's complete "Lives" free at Amazon. I can start there.

"Rubicon" is available but it's $12.99 for the ebook. So I may have to get that from the library. (Annoying side note: the paperback of "Rubicon" is available for $10.38. Why is the paper less than the ebook?!?!)

 

[annanova]

Mr Penn and I have been watching "Rome," and although I've read two biographies of Cleopatra, I wondered if anyone could suggest one for Julius Caesar. I'm not an expert on the period or anything, so something written more for the layperson would be good, but I'm willing to stretch a little.

ETA: How embarrassing to misspell Caesar in the thread title...

Oh dear god... I loved that series.

 

[NaokoSmith]

If you're willing to stretch a bit, Caesar's own book The Gallic Wars would be worth a go.

Gaudeamus igitur!

 

[Handley_Page]

When getting Plutarch, do check on the translator/s.
It's all too easy to get one as dry as a bit of straw with witheringly accurate words, but no particular 'sense' of it. Anyone after E V Rieu [Penguin Classics] would probably work.

 

[ishtat]

Try Seutonius "The Twelve Caesars" first - before Plutarch. Unfortunately the only part which didn't survive is the first few chapters concerning Julius, but it is still a good start. Free on Kindle.

 

[PennLady]

Oh dear god... I loved that series.

It's fantastic, isn't it? We just finished season one last night, and you can't tell me people weren't waiting for the "Eu tu, Brute?" line when it first aired. We're taking a little break, though, before season two. Don't want to get burnt out.

If you're willing to stretch a bit, Caesar's own book The Gallic Wars would be worth a go.

Gaudeamus igitur!

Thanks, I'll look for that, too.

When getting Plutarch, do check on the translator/s.
It's all too easy to get one as dry as a bit of straw with witheringly accurate words, but no particular 'sense' of it. Anyone after E V Rieu [Penguin Classics] would probably work.

I got this one, which doesn't list the translator but so far is reasonably easy to read, although it has a lot of run-on sentences. Well, a lot of long sentences with clauses and commas, anyway, but not too hard to read.

Try Seutonius "The Twelve Caesars" first - before Plutarch. Unfortunately the only part which didn't survive is the first few chapters concerning Julius, but it is still a good start. Free on Kindle.

Again, thanks, I'll look it up.

 

[PennLady]

Update: this morning I was able to get Seutonius' "The Twelve Caesars" for free, although I had to get each book individually. I also got the volume on the Grammarians and Rhetoricians.

 

[Ironiclaconic]

Suetonius has a lot of bawdy gossip that fed Robert Graves's I Claudius. It is still one of the few actual sources for information on the era, but I'd anything seems too outrageous to be true it probably is.

All the modern biographies use these heavily as sources, but they would also provide context for stuff that the Roman writers would just assume you knew, strip out the superstition, add archeological info, and provide the current thinking on where Plutarch and Suetonius were likely gullible, biased, or spreading rumors.

But reading the originals provides a wonderful flavor of what the era was really like. Obsessions with genealogy, augury, religion, scandalous gossip, etc.

If you haven't seen I Claudius, rent it. You would almost certainly love it.

 

[PennLady]

I remember, many moons ago, that my parents watched "I, Claudius" on Masterpiece Theatre (and of course there was the companion classic, "Me, Claudius" on Sesame Street's Monsterpiece Theatre).

I found the Gallic Wars at this site: http://classics.mit.edu/Caesar/gallic.html

And used a plug-in on my browser to send to my Kindle. I think I'll need a new Kindle collection on classic Roman history.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Sean]

If you're willing to stretch a bit, Caesar's own book The Gallic Wars would be worth a go.

Gaudeamus igitur!

This. ^^^


And if you're feeling really ambitious, Gibbon's Decline and Fall is a masterpiece.

 

[PennLady]

This. ^^^


And if you're feeling really ambitious, Gibbon's Decline and Fall is a masterpiece.

Yes, I snagged The Gallic Wars from the site I posted above. Love my Readability plug-in.

I'll keep Gibbon in mind as well -- right now I think I'm a bit overwhelmed with the free stuff, plus Holland's Rubicon awaits me at the library.