Tiranni

by Clive Foss, Daniele Ballarini (Translator)

Proclamarsi Dio, o provocare la morte di milioni di connazionali. Cenare in mezzo ai nemici impalati mentre si contorcono dal dolore oppure far frustare il mare per la sua disobbedienza, Da Vlad l'Impalatore a Gengis Khan, da Pol Pot a Mussolini, solo i veri tiranni possono mostrare la volontà di ferro, il vanaglorioso egoismo e lo spietato abuso di potere necessari per realizzare qualsiasi cosa bramino, a prescindere da quanto possa essere terrificante o scellerata. Muovendo dall'ascesa dei primi dittatori dell'epoca greca e romana, passando attraverso le efferatezze di Hitler e Stalin per arrivare alla soglia dei giorni nostri con Slobodan Milosevic e Saddam Hussein, il professor Clive Foss descrive la vita dì cinquanta tra i più brutali despoti mai esistiti e, muovendosi tra avidità, corruzione, follia, vanità, sadismo e terrore, mostra in tutta la sua spietatezza ciò che è stata e che continua a essere la piaga della disumanità dell'uomo sull'uomo.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World History

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Morgan Baliviera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un carino “Bignami” su alcuni tra i principali e più crudeli dittatori e tiranni della Storia. Adatto, soprattutto, a chi per la prima volta si affaccia alla storia.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each dictator is afforded three of book's large pages as well as a chapter cover with a photo or other artistic profile. It's a pretty quick read.

Because only a short space is allowed, the information is basically an overview. The dry, quick coverage makes it difficult to feel the true horror of the tyranny, except with Vlad the Impaler. Ick!

While it was interesting to learn about and compare how each ruler came to power, more than half of the limited space was devoted to it. This was excessive. More needed to be said about what these men did to qualify as tyrants, and what their victims had experienced.

Overall, easy, good, concise information, in a nice compilation.

[Dave/Maggie Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A coffee table book of history's most homicidal megalomaniacs. Fun for the whole family. Who could ask for more?

[Nay Lin Soe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Treat this as a compact biography of the selected dictators throughout the known history. Each story won't give you a very detailed insight into the life of its dictator. However, that's not the focus of this book, which is more intended as a coffee-table book. It is an introduction of those whose names you might never have heard of otherwise. More interested parties can dig further in other sources. For its purpose, I think this is a very good one.

[Sundaram Chauhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very well intended book. Beautifully chronicled from the ancient times to the contemporary world. I believe if someone picks this book for reading, his first expectation would be to see these dreaded tyrants at work i.e. their tyranny. There precisely it slightly disappoints, as their atrocities haven't been given much space. I would have liked to read more about their idiosyncrasies. All in all a good work.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview of the world's most demonic leaders, from Xerxes in 485 B.C to Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Not what you'd called scholarly but all the better for it.

If this book has any fault, it is its tendency to turn the lives of extroadinarily evil men into salacious nuggets. Oh, hang on - that's the whole point, isn't it?

[Autumn Araujo · Rating 1 out of 5]

BORING! Too many useless “Tyrants”. Small summaries with no substance. Maybe a book about 15 people with more detail would have helped make it more interesting. When you pick up a true crime book, you anticipate a vivid portrayal of the horrific events. However, I found that a brief online search would have provided me with more information than what this book offered.

[Ezekial · Rating 1 out of 5]

the book was full of names and covers 50 people over 2500 years in a little over 200 pages...which as a history major i didnt particularly enjoy, but if there is a school paper one needs done in a jiff, this is the book for them.

[Ian Kloester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great gallery of villians summed up in just a few pages each. Helps explain some of the worlds lingering animosities. How cruel are some who rule? Impalement, skinning alive, fire and famine are just a few of the tools of the trade for these tyrants.

[Andrea Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been about 7 years since I read this book. I absolutely loved it! I was lucky enough to pick it up by chance off of a clearance rack. Each and every story of the tyrants is interesting. I think it's about time I read this one again! :)