Nero, Anthony Everitt
Nero, Anthony Everitt
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Nero
Matricide, Music, and Murder in Imperial Rome

Author: Anthony Everitt, Roddy Ashworth

Narrator: Greg Patmore

Unabridged: 13 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/08/2022


Synopsis

A striking, nuanced biography of Nero—the controversial populist ruler and last of the Caesars—and a vivid portrait of ancient Rome

“Exciting and provocative . . . Nero is a pleasure to read.”—Barry Strauss, author of The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium

The Roman emperor Nero’s name has long been a byword for cruelty, decadence, and despotism. As the stories go, he set fire to Rome and thrummed his lyre as it burned. He then cleared the charred ruins and built a vast palace. He committed incest with his mother, who had schemed and killed to place him on the throne, and later murdered her.

But these stories, left behind by contemporary historians who hated him, are hardly the full picture, and in this nuanced biography, celebrated historian Anthony Everitt and investigative journalist Roddy Ashworth reveal the contradictions inherent in Nero and offer a reappraisal of his life. Contrary to popular memory, the empire was well managed during his reign. He presided over diplomatic triumphs, and his legions overcame the fiery British queen Boudica who led one of the greatest revolts Rome had ever had to face. He loved art, culture, and music, and he won the loyalty of the lower classes with fantastic spectacles. He did not set fire to Rome.

In Nero, ancient Rome comes to life: the fire-prone streets, the deadly political intrigues, and the ongoing architectural projects. In this teeming, politically unstable world, Nero was vulnerable to fierce reproach from the nobility and relatives who would gladly usurp him, and he was often too ready to murder rivals. He had a vision for Rome, but, racked by insecurity, he perhaps lacked the stomach to govern it.

This is the bloodstained story of one of Rome’s most notorious emperors: but in Everitt and Ashworth’s hands, Nero’s life is also a complicated, cautionary tale about the mettle required to rule.

About Anthony Everitt

Anthony Everitt, former Visiting Professor in the visual and performing arts at Nottingham Trent University, has written extensively on European culture and is the author of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome. He has served as secretary general of the Arts Council of Great Britain. Anthony lives near Colchester, England's first recorded town, founded by the Romans.


Reviews

Goodreads review by LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" on September 03, 2022

My thanks to Random House, the authors and Netgalley. I loved this book! Truth is that I've always been a bit iffy on most writers take on Nero and this time in history. It always seemed to be way over the top! According to this book, it was over the top, just in a slightly different way. I enjoyed this......more

Goodreads review by Read By Kyle on December 14, 2022

This was really good! I think Nero is usually put with Caligula and Commodus as a crazy Roman Emperor and while he did do some crazy things, he was a way more nuanced character. For starters, the people loved him. What is going on here? The answer is a mix of genuine atrocity, curious decisions, and......more

Goodreads review by Kara on August 29, 2022

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy! This books reads as easily as any excellent drama - probably because Nero was so over the top dramatic in every aspect of his life from beginning to end. Also, Everitt makes the subject matter fresh and suspenseful, giving the feeling of events playing out no......more

Goodreads review by William on December 15, 2022

Really interesting. Everitt attempts to show Nero in a more favorable light, arguing that most of our textual sources about him should be suspect because they are written by his enemies, senators and Christians, while there is evidence to suggest the general populace loved him. He tries to show that......more

Goodreads review by Nathan B. on February 29, 2024

It is unusual to read a biography of a figure who is wholly unsympathetic. Even in his artistic expression, Nero was manipulative, vindictive, and ruthless. But, I am grateful for a window into the world of 1st century Rome because it is a world in the past, and not in the present. Stories of Nero's......more


Quotes

“This exciting and provocative book grabs the reader while supporting its arguments with careful classical scholarship. The authors write with authority and elegance. Nero is a pleasure to read.”—Barry Strauss, author of The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium

“A nuanced biography of Roman emperor Nero, who ruled from 54 to 68 BCE . . . [Anthony Everitt and Roddy Ashworth] evoke the period with wit and precision. Ancient history buffs will be pleased.”Publishers Weekly

Praise for Anthony Everitt

Alexander the Great

“Reads as easily as a novel . . . [Anthony] Everitt has a wealth of anecdotes and two millennia of histories to work with, and he delivers and interprets them flawlessly. Nearly unparalleled insight into the period and the man make this a story for everyone.”Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The Rise of Rome


“Fascinating history and a great read.”Chicago Sun-Times

“Everitt writes for the informed and the uninformed general reader alike, in a brisk, conversational style, with a modern attitude of skepticism and realism.”The Dallas Morning News

“Elegant, swift and faultless.”The Spectator