Young Caesar

Caesar #1

by Rex Warner

256 page mass market paperback book reprinted from the 1959 Mentor first published.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics

Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Rex Warner was an English classicist, writer and translator. He is now probably best remembered for The Aerodrome (1941), an allegorical novel whose young hero is faced with the disintegration of his certainties about his loved ones and with a choice between the earthy, animalistic life of his home village and the pure, efficient, emotionally detached life of an airman.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel has Julius Caesar reflecting on his youth, and the political intrigues and leading to his rise to power.
Full of wry observation on people's characters, and political philosophy.
Caeasar narrates the story of his life, to he close of his first consulate, and the eve of his departure to Gaul.
We get to see Caesar's world of enquiry experience and survival, and the intrigues of the Rome of that time. Revealed are the lives of Rome's leading men and and women, such as Pompey, Crassus, Cicero, Catiline, Julia and Clodia.

It depicts the political struggles and civil wars and Rome at that time and the violence, brutality and political intrigue. Caesar's brilliant mind and instinct for survival are depicted here, revealing a man of letters and a man of action, a gambler, lover, populist politician and one of history's greatest generals.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Desde el monólogo, el onanismo hagiográfico.-

Género. Novela histórica.

Lo que nos cuenta. Después de la cena del 14 de marzo del 44 antes de Cristo, Cayo Julio César se aparta de los comensales para escribir y comienza a narrar su vida por escrito, desde el final de una niñez marcada por la sociedad en la que vivía y por Cayo Mario, hasta su nombramiento consular y el día antes de su viaje a la Galia. Primer libro de los dos que dedicó el autor a César y que continúa en “César imperial”.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....

[Helen Cazadora De Libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

César y Roma son dos nombres vinculados. No se puede hablar de uno sin pesar en la otra.
.
Capital e Imperio vinculados eternamente a él, a Julio César, y en estas novelas sobre su vida podemos disfrutar tanto del hombre como del emperador.
.
Hazañas, victorias, derrotas...de la mano de este autor que no entra en contradicciones ni en cotilleos cleopatricos ni en lo macabro de su muerte.
.
Nos cuenta su vida. Punto.
.
Nos acerca al hombre y nos aleja del mito.
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Nos habla de una manera bastante decente del hombre que tuvo el poder del mundo en sus manos.
.
Una buena opción para conocerlo mejor.

[Harry Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rex Warner and Robert Graves are the standout authors when it comes to writing biographies of historical figures in their own words. In this instance Sexy Rexie puts himself in the sandals of a young Julius Caesar and does it with exceptional authenticity. Pavonine vituperative, eloquent, everything you expect of a budding Imperator.

[Daniel Magalhaes · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have all heard of Julius Caeser, the Roman General who held absolute power and who won a huge spot in history. But in this book Rex Warner shows us the real man, from his origins as a a small boy caught up in the turmoil of a civil war, to his first official elected Roman post as Aedile. The writer Rex Warner has written various novels on the theme of Power and its corruptive nature. This book is no different. One of the passages that stuck with me was Caeser's first experience of power. Caeser, as a small boy playing in the streets of Rome, initiated a small demonstration against the ruling General of the time, Sulla. He soon realized that his words were being repeated by all of those around his group, and he goes on to utter this phrase: "I was finding that my own words and actions were spreading beyond myself into the minds and feelings of an expanding circle. This was perhaps my first experience of power." We will see that this impression will stick with Caeser till the end of his life.

[Nuria Nuriameba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de las lecturas obligatorias en la universidad que más me han gustado. A pesar de ser una novela histórica rigurosa, no deja de apasionar a cualquier lector interesado en el periodo histórico de la caída de la república romana y el ascenso de Julio César.
Pasa por cada uno de los momentos más importantes de la vida del general/dictador/senador Romano. Sin duda un básico imprescindible para cualquier amante de esta época y personaje.

[Rafael Nardini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literatura para entender estruturação política. O maior império da história sobreviveu a uma dúzia de imperadores dementes como Mário e Nero graças a um texto constitucional extremamente sólido. O mesmo modelo americano, que sobre sobrevive a psicopatas como Trump - clinicamente diagnosticado em documento assinado por 500 profissionais da Associação Psiquiátrica Americana - graças a uma carta magna quase perfeita. Dura Lex Sed Lex...

[Kareem]

ان الفضيلة اذا لم تدعمها قوة مادية فقدرتها على الصمود ازاء اى هجوم منظم محدودة او معدومة - جايوس يوليوس قيصر

[Rocío · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julio Cesar en sus últimos días, cuenta la historia de su vida de niño y joven, con todas sus ambiciones y con los ingentes planes que urdía para ir ascendiendo en la política romana

[Lexi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-written but boring. Dudes who think about the Roman Empire a million times a day would probably like it.

[Rusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not certain how I should classify this book so I put it under two categories - biographies and historical fiction. The publisher called it a biographical novel. My copy is actually titled The Young Caesar and has different cover art from others listed in GR but it is HB so I am listing it here.

As for the book itself, I enjoyed the discussion about the powers of Rome, the egos of the men who ruled it, the intrigue, twists and turns of loyalties depending on who was popular for what reason and how Caesar himself was able to survive in this political arena. Caesar is the narrator who discusses politics and personalities of Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Cato, Crassus, and Cicero among others in his viewpoint. Most interesting and informative but not an easy read unless you are comfortable with Rome's political situation during Caesar's life.

[Vicki Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in a two-book "autobiography" of Julius Caesar, written on the eve of the Ides of March. It covers the period through his leaving for Gaul. He realizes that he only has assassination to fear, but he doesn't seem very worried by it. He's very calculating, even joining in on the early conspiracy with Catiline, along with Crassus, although they realize Catiline is not going to be able to be a success. Also he says he'd like to be king. In the early years, before he's an adult, there's lots of musings about his uncle Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who both loomed very large in the history of Rome. There's virtually no dialog, just a running narrative of events along with his thoughts on people and events, and how to turn everything to his advantage.

[Robert Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get to know the men of Rome Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Cicero and Cato through the eye's of Caesar himself. Fictional but extremely great account of Cesar's early years, I found it helpful in understand this complex man.

[Rene Paul Meillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buen libro. Es una buena narración de los inicios de la vida política de Julio César, en primera persona.Ampliamente recomendada.

[Merek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on being in the mind of the soon to be powerful dictator.

[Gastón Kolocsar · Rating 5 out of 5]

La política en la roma republicana no era para tibios, y claramente Julio César no lo era.

[Jorge Dueñas Lerín · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ladrillo. No conozco muchos detalles de la historia de Roma y el libro se me ha hecho cuesta arriba, no he llegado a empatizar. En algunos puntos se puede ver cómo se maneja al pueblo con "pan y circo" y desde el punto de vista de un dirigente. El libro pertenece a una serie, quizá en los siguientes se ponga más interesante (no sé si lo llegaré a comprobar)

[Christina Eastwood]

A very unusual novel written as if Caesar is writing his own autobiography. A very useful way of obtaining the information needed about the period for - say - IGCSE Latin. Comes with the caveat that (although not graphic) Caesar's rather nasty morals are not avoided.