Imperium

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Harris, Robert 저자(글)

Gallery Books · 2007년 08월 07일

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It had been my intention to describe in detail the trial of Gaius Verres, but now I come to set it down, I see there is no point. After Cicero's tactical masterstroke on that first day, Verres and his advocates resembled nothing so much as the victims of a siege: holed up in their little fortress, surrounded by their enemies, battered day after day by a rain of missiles, and their crumbling walls undermined by tunnels. They had no means of fighting back. Their only hope was somehow to withstand the onslaught for the nine days remaining, and then try to regroup during the lull enforced by Pompey's games. Cicero's objective was equally clear: to obliterate Verres's defenses so completely that by the time he had finished laying out his case, not even the most corrupt senatorial jury in Rome would dare to acquit him. He set about this mission with his usual discipline. The prosecution team would gather before dawn. While Cicero performed his exercises, was shaved and dressed, I would read out the testimony of the witnesses he would be calling that day and run through our schedule of evidence. He would then dictate to me the rough outline of what he intended to say. For an hour or two he would familiarize himself with the day's brief and thoroughly memorize his remarks, while Quintus, Frugi, and I ensured that all his witnesses and evidence boxes were ready.We would then parade down the hill to the Forum -- and parades they were, for the general view around Rome was that Cicero's performance in the extortion court was the greatest show in town. The crowds were as large on the second and third days as they had been on the first, and the witnesses' performances were often heartbreaking, as they collapsed in tears recounting their ill treatment. I remember in particular Dio of Halaesa, swindled out of ten thousand sesterces, and two brothers from Agyrium forced to hand over their entire inheritance of four thousand. There would have been more, but Lucius Metellus had actually refused to let a dozen witnesses leave the island to testify, among them the chief priest of Jupiter, Heraclius of Syracuse -- an outrage against justice which Cicero neatly turned to his advantage. "Our allies' rights," he boomed, "do not even include permission to complain of their sufferings!" Throughout all this, Hortensius, amazing to relate, never said a word. Cicero would finish his examination of a witness, Glabrio would offer the King of the Law Courts his chance to crossexamine, and His Majesty would regally shake his head, or declare grandly, "No questions for this witness." On the fourth day, Verres pleaded illness and tried to be excused from attending, but Glabrio was having none of it, and told him he would be carried down to the Forum on his bed if necessary. It was on the following afternoon that Cicero's cousin Lucius at last returned to Rome, his mission in Sicily accomplished. Cicero was overjoyed to find him waiting at the house when we got back from court, and he embraced him tearfully. Without Lucius's support in dispatching witnesses and boxes of evidence back to the mainland, Cicero's case would not have been half as strong. But the seven-month effort had clearly exhausted Lucius, who had not been a strong man to begin with. He was now alarmingly thin and had developed a painful, racking cough. Even so, his commitment to bringing Verres to justice was unwavering -- so much so that he had missed the opening of the trial in order to take a detour on his journey back to Rome. He had stayed in Puteoli and tracked down two more witnesses: the Roman knight, Gaius Numitorius, who had witnessed the crucifixion of Gavius in Messana; and a friend of his, a merchant named Marcus Annius, who had been in Syracuse when the Roman banker Herennius had been judicially murdered. "And where are these gentlemen?" asked Cicero eagerly. "Here," replied Lucius. "In the tablinum. But I must warn you, they do not want to testify." Cicero
In his "most accomplished work to date" (Los Angeles Times), master ofhistorical fiction Robert Harris lures readers back in time to the compellinglife of Roman Senator Marcus Cicero. The re-creation of a vanished biographywritten by his household slave and right-hand man, Tiro, Imperium followsCicero's extraordinary struggle to attain supreme power in Rome.On a cold November morning, Tiro opens the door to find a terrified, bedraggledstranger begging for help. Once a Sicilian aristocrat, the man was robbed by thecorrupt Roman governor, Verres, who is now trying to convict him under falsepretenses and sentence him to a violent death. The man claims that only thegreat senator Marcus Cicero, one of Rome's most ambitious lawyers andspellbinding orators, can bring him justice in a crooked society manipulated bythe villainous governor. But for Cicero, it is a chance to prove himself worthyof absolute power. What follows is one of the most gripping courtroom dramas inhistory, and the beginning of a quest for political glory by a man who foughthis way to the top using only his voice -- defeating the most daunting figuresin Roman history.
In his "most accomplished work to date" ("Los Angeles Times"), master of historical fiction Robert Harris lures readers back in time to the compelling life of Roman Senator Marcus Cicero. The re-creation of a vanished biography written by his household slave and right-hand man, Tiro, Imperium follows Cicero's extraordinary struggle to attain supreme power in Rome. On a cold November morning, Tiro opens the door to find a terrified, bedraggledstranger begging for help. Once a Sicilian aristocrat, the man was robbed by thecorrupt Roman governor, Verres, who is now trying to convict him under false pretenses and sentence him to a violent death. The man claims that only the great senator Marcus Cicero, one of Rome's most ambitious lawyers and spellbinding orators, can bring him justice in a crooked society manipulated by the villainous governor. But for Cicero, it is a chance to prove himself worthy of absolute power. What follows is one of the most gripping courtroom dramas inhistory, and the beginning of a quest for political glory by a man who fought his way to the top using only his voice -- defeating the most daunting figures in Roman history.
In his "most accomplished work to date" ( Los Angeles Times), master of historical fiction Robert Harris lures readers back in time to the compelling life of Roman Senator Marcus Cicero. The re-creation of a vanished biography written by his household slave and right-hand man, Tiro, Imperium follows Cicero's extraordinary struggle to attain supreme power in Rome. On a cold November morning, Tiro opens the door to find a terrified, bedraggled stranger begging for help. Once a Sicilian aristocrat, the man was robbed by the corrupt Roman governor, Verres, who is now trying to convict him under false pretenses and sentence him to a violent death. The man claims that only the great senator Marcus Cicero, one of Rome's most ambitious lawyers and spellbinding orators, can bring him justice in a crooked society manipulated by the villainous governor. But for Cicero, it is a chance to prove himself worthy of absolute power. What follows is one of the most gripping courtroom dramas in history, and the beginning of a quest for political glory by a man who fought his way to the top using only his voice -- defeating the most daunting figures in Roman history.
In his "most accomplished work to date" (Los Angeles Times), master of historical fiction Robert Harris lures readers back in time to the compelling life of Roman Senator Marcus Cicero. The re-creation of a vanished biography written by his household slave and right-hand man, Tiro, Imperium follows Cicero's extraordinary struggle to attain supreme power in Rome.On a cold November morning, Tiro opens the door to find a terrified, bedraggledstranger begging for help. Once a Sicilian aristocrat, the man was robbed by thecorrupt Roman governor, Verres, who is now trying to convict him under false pretenses and sentence him to a violent death. The man claims that only the great senator Marcus Cicero, one of Rome's most ambitious lawyers and spellbinding orators, can bring him justice in a crooked society manipulated by the villainous governor. But for Cicero, it is a chance to prove himself worthy of absolute power. What follows is one of the most gripping courtroom dramas inhistory, and the beginning of a quest for political glory by a man who fought his way to the top using only his voice -- defeating the most daunting figures in Roman history.
"A joy to read in every way."-The Independent
"A joy to read in every way."- "The Independent"
"A joy to read in every way." - The Independent
"A joy to read in every way."-The Independent
"A minutely observed political novel...set during the most poignant era in ancient Roman history."--Newsday(New York)
"A minutely observed political novel...set during the most poignant era in ancient Roman history." -- "Newsday" (New York)
"A minutely observed political novel...set during the most poignant era in ancient Roman history." -- Newsday (New York)
"A minutely observed political novel...set during the most poignant era in ancient Roman history." --Newsday(New York)
"An entertainingly vivid picture of one of history's most fascinating elected officials."-USA Today
"An entertainingly vivid picture of one of history's most fascinating elected officials."- "USA Today"
"An entertainingly vivid picture of one of history's most fascinating elected officials." - USA Today
"An entertainingly vivid picture of one of history's most fascinating elected officials."-USA Today
"Excellent.... Full of back-biting and double-dealing, compromise and intrigue."--Time Out
"Excellent.... Full of back-biting and double-dealing, compromise and intrigue." -- "Time Out"
"Excellent.... Full of back-biting and double-dealing, compromise and intrigue." -- Time Out
"Excellent.... Full of back-biting and double-dealing, compromise and intrigue." --Time Out
"Harris's zest for political machinations serves the material well."--The Washington Post
"Harris's zest for political machinations serves the material well." -- "The Washington Post"
"Harris's zest for political machinations serves the material well." -- The Washington Post
"Harris's zest for political machinations serves the material well." --The Washington Post
"In Harris's hands the great game [of politics] becomes a beautiful one."--The Times(London)
"In Harris's hands the great game [of politics] becomes a beautiful one." -- "The Times" (London)
"In Harris's hands the great game [of politics] becomes a beautiful one." -- The Times (London)
"In Harris's hands the great game [of politics] becomes a beautiful one." --The Times(London)
"Meticulous, absorbing and informative."-The New York Times Book Review
"Meticulous, absorbing and informative."- "The New York Times Book Review"
"Meticulous, absorbing and informative." - The New York Times Book Review
"Meticulous, absorbing and informative."-The New York Times Book Review
From the bestselling author of "Fatherland" and "Pompeii" comes the compelling first novel in a trilogy about the great orator Cicero and his struggle for power in ancient Rome.

작가정보

저자(글) Harris, Robert

1957년 영국 노팅엄에서 태어난 로버트 해리스는 케임브리지 대학을 졸업했다. 졸업 후 해리스는 BBC 뉴스나이트와 각종 파노라마 프로그램의 리포터로, 또 <옵서버>의 정치 담당란 기자로, <선데이 타임스>와 <선데이 텔레그래프>의 칼럼니스트로 활동했다. 브리티시 프레스 어워드(British Press Award)에서 올해의 칼럼니스트로 선정되기도 했던 해리스는 칼럼니스트 활동 중에도 틈틈이 작품을 써왔다. 이렇게 발표된 것이 《당신들의 조국》으로 이 작품은 히스토리 팩션의 새 장을 열며 언론과 독자들에게 큰 찬사를 받았고 세계적인 베스트셀러로 등극했다. 또한 HBO에서 TV영화로도 제작된 바 있다. 이후 해리스는 2차 대전 당시 실존한 최고의 암호기 이니그마를 풀어내는 암호해독가의 이야기를 다룬 《이니그마》와 45년 만에 발견된 스탈린의 숨겨진 일기장에 얽힌 비화 《아크엔젤》을 발표하며 일약 히스토리 팩션의 최고봉으로 떠올랐다. 이 두 작품 역시 각각 케이트 윈슬렛과 다니엘 크레이그 주연으로 영화화되기도 했다. 고대 로마 시대를 다룬 대작 《폼페이》로 정통 역사 소설가로서 입지를 넓힌 해리스는 그의 필생의 역작인 로마사 3부작을 기획한다. 2006년에 발표된 제1부 《임페리움》은 완벽한 고증, 주관 있는 역사의식, 광대한 세계관으로 역사 소설의 수준을 한 단계 높였다는 평을 받으며 전 세계 평단의 극찬과 독자의 사랑을 받았다.

기본정보

ISBN	9780743498661 ( 0743498666 )
발행(출시)일자	2007년 08월 07일
쪽수	320쪽
크기	142 * 208 * 21 mm / 281 g
총권수	1권
언어	영어