THE YOUNG CAESAR

by Rex Warner ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 13, 1958

In the tradition of Robert Graves' I Claudius, of Thornton Wilder's The Ides of March- here is a segment of classical history and a giant figure from that history. Recalling his youth on the eve of his assassination- as if sensing his impending death- Caesar looks back over his early life up to his forty-third year and the conquest of Gaul. He analyzes and evaluates the worth of the great men he has known-Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Cicero, Cato- and the great military deeds and political upheavals which marked his time. Caesar is a shrewd psychologist and he brilliantly penetrates the underlying causes of events as well as the factions and manoeuvres through which they were perpetrated by the leaders of Rome. Caesar is cynical yet kindly, patient, proud, watchful, a bitter defender of social justice. If the memory he displays in the narrative is keen and circumstantial, it is also particularly impressive in its sentient, purpose-ridden forcefulness and shapes these vital reflections of a major world figure at the height of his powers. The narrative (and one may hope that there will be a second volume describing Caesar's maturity) carries the validity and significance of an historical document; it is fictional biography of a high order.

Pub Date: March 13, 1958

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown- A.M.P.

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1958

Categories: FICTION