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Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “An excellent introduction to a critical period in the history of Rome. Cicero comes across much as he must have reflective, charming and rather vain.”—The Wall Street Journal“All ages of the world have not produced a greater statesman and philosopher combined.”—John Adams He squared off against Caesar and was friends with young Brutus. He advised the legendary Pompey on his botched transition from military hero to politician. He lambasted Mark Antony and was master of the smear campaign, as feared for his wit as he was for his ruthless disputations. Brilliant, voluble, cranky, a genius of political manipulation but also a true patriot and idealist, Cicero was Rome’s most feared politician, one of the greatest lawyers and statesmen of all times. In this dynamic and engaging biography, Anthony Everitt plunges us into the fascinating, scandal-ridden world of ancient Rome in its most glorious heyday—when senators were endlessly filibustering legislation and exposing one another’s sexual escapades to discredit the opposition. Accessible to us through his legendary speeches but also through an unrivaled collection of unguarded letters to his close friend Atticus, Cicero comes to life as a witty and cunning political operator, the most eloquent and astute witness to the last days of Republican Rome.Praise for Cicero“ [Everitt makes] his subject—brilliant, vain, principled, opportunistic and courageous—come to life after two millennia.”—The Washington Post“ Gripping . . . Everitt combines a classical education with practical expertise. . . . He writes fluidly.”—The New York Times“In the half-century before the assassination of Julius Caesar . . . Rome endured a series of crises, assassinations, factional bloodletting, civil wars and civil strife, including at one point government by gang war. This period, when republican government slid into dictatorship, is one of history’s most fascinating, and one learns a great deal about it in this excellent and very readable biography.”—The Plain Dealer“Riveting . . . a clear-eyed biography . . . Cicero’s times . . . offer vivid lessons about the viciousness that can pervade elected government.”—Chicago Tribune“Lively and dramatic . . . By the book’s end, he’s managed to put enough flesh on Cicero’s old bones that you care when the agents of his implacable enemy, Mark Antony, kill him.”—Los Angeles Times
461 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Anthony Everitt
16 books472 followersAnthony Everitt is a British academic. He studied English literature at the University of Cambridge. He publishes regularly in The Guardian and The Financial Times. He worked in literature and visual arts. He was Secretary-General of the Arts Council of Great Britain. He is a visiting professor in the performing and visual arts at Nottingham Trent University. Everitt is a companion of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and an Honorary Fellow of the Dartington College of Arts. Everitt has written books about Roman history, amongst which biographies of Augustus, Hadrian and Cicero and a book on The Rise of Rome. He lives in Wivenhoe near Colchester.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 544 reviews
March 10, 2013
I am not sure it was a good idea to read Cicero’s biography, by a historian, right after reading a fictionalized account by a reporter and novelist (especially if the fictionalized account is not yet complete –only two volumes of the trilogy have been published – Robert Harris). A great deal of the curiosity awakened in my ignorance has been damped. But it has also been gratifying to compare views and strengthen notions.
Although an academic, Anthony Everitt knows how to represent drama. The opening of the book is certainly brilliant. He starts with an engrossing account of Julius Caesar assassination in which the attending Cicero is the only one who is innocent of the bloody plot and yet for whom, and for what he represented, is the deed done. This is the sort of opening to which one goes back to reread after finishing the book.
In this account, Everitt does a good job in showing Cicero’s complex nature. He was someone who had to juggle between his ideas and his political role. And it was precisely this wavering which put his life at risk several times. It was not always clear to his friends and foes, whether it was the theoretical expositions or the Realpolitik practice, which were enlightening or dangerous.
Cicero was essentially a conservative who firmly believed that by persuasion and negotiation the former and idyllic Republic could come back to Rome and a healthy democratic society could be reinstated. And yet, in his politics he more than once supported and sided with the autocrats whose aim was precisely to do away with the Republic and the traditional political structures.
Following his life has provided me with a useful framework in which to place his writings, and indeed the chapters in which Everitt discusses these were for me more interesting than following the political intrigue. From the earlier transcriptions of the political speeches that Cicero composed as a youngish and aspiring politician, he moved at a somewhat later stage to more meditative musings on a balanced life, duty, and friendship, bequeathing to posterity his accumulated wisdom. And in his more advanced age, when his personal interests and emotional ties had loosened, he summoned the courage to produce the final acerbic, consistent and continuous attack on the Republic’s latest enemy. The fourteen Philippicae chant the swan song of a disappearing epoch in the history of Rome and of Cicero’s own life.
It seems Everitt’s main aim in writing this was to recover the central place that Cicero has had until relatively recently in the education of the layman. I wonder whether he will succeed in this ambitious aim, but he certainly has awakened my interest in this author. Through his pen Cicero emerges as a likeable and closer figure from whom we have a great deal to learn today, and who should stay out of the Olympus of Forgotten Figures and of the Myth of the Boring Classics.
“Caesar remarked that Cicero had won greater laurels than those worn by a general in his Triumph, for it meant more to have extended the frontiers of Roman genius than of its empire”
December 31, 2015
“The radicals seem not to have had a clear set of proposals and seized opportunities as they came along.”
― Anthony Everitt, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician
Not as good as Everitt's biography of Augustus, but better than his biography of Hadrian. Everitt is clearly passionate and good at classical narratives. His biographies are quick, easy, and summarize the subjects well. He doesn't add much new to the history. He isn't challenging or overthrowing assumptions about Cicero or the other major players, but he weaves a nice story and makes classical history approachable.
Everitt does a fine job of balancing the different aspects of Cicero. His skill as an orator, his hits and misses as a politician, his defense of the Republic, his rationality all get their time and moment. Everitt blends in Cicero's weaknesses: his vanity, his missteps/vacillation in politics, his zeal in persecuting Mark Anthony, and his cowardice.
The weakness of this biography is while Everitt might be aiming at a form of historical rehabilitation, I'm not sure Cicero was ever really in need of rehabilitation. While he was often unlucky during his life (unlike Julius Caesar the birds never seemed to be on Cicero's side) after his 'good death' Cicero seems to have flourished.
The volume and quality of Cicero's writings that survived the fall of Rome have made Cicero into one of the hero/gods of the Roman Republic. His genius survives. Cicero will always be known more now for what he wrote and thought than for what he did. Caesar may have been deified by decree of the Roman Senate on 1 January 42 BC, but Cicero's own writings have made him immortal. He lives on in Machiavelli, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill. As Emperor Augustus observed to one of his grandsons upon seeing him reading a book by Cicero: "An eloquent man, my child, an eloquent man, and a patriot." Not a bad epitaph from the Caesar who had you killed.
― Anthony Everitt, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician
Not as good as Everitt's biography of Augustus, but better than his biography of Hadrian. Everitt is clearly passionate and good at classical narratives. His biographies are quick, easy, and summarize the subjects well. He doesn't add much new to the history. He isn't challenging or overthrowing assumptions about Cicero or the other major players, but he weaves a nice story and makes classical history approachable.
Everitt does a fine job of balancing the different aspects of Cicero. His skill as an orator, his hits and misses as a politician, his defense of the Republic, his rationality all get their time and moment. Everitt blends in Cicero's weaknesses: his vanity, his missteps/vacillation in politics, his zeal in persecuting Mark Anthony, and his cowardice.
The weakness of this biography is while Everitt might be aiming at a form of historical rehabilitation, I'm not sure Cicero was ever really in need of rehabilitation. While he was often unlucky during his life (unlike Julius Caesar the birds never seemed to be on Cicero's side) after his 'good death' Cicero seems to have flourished.
The volume and quality of Cicero's writings that survived the fall of Rome have made Cicero into one of the hero/gods of the Roman Republic. His genius survives. Cicero will always be known more now for what he wrote and thought than for what he did. Caesar may have been deified by decree of the Roman Senate on 1 January 42 BC, but Cicero's own writings have made him immortal. He lives on in Machiavelli, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill. As Emperor Augustus observed to one of his grandsons upon seeing him reading a book by Cicero: "An eloquent man, my child, an eloquent man, and a patriot." Not a bad epitaph from the Caesar who had you killed.
October 17, 2018
A decent, readable biography of Cicero that effectively situates his character within the framework of the turbulent times in which he lived. While not uncritically positive, Everitt clearly considers Cicero's actions as a changeable, deliberate response to political necessity, using the preface to set up the book as 'an exercise in rehabilitation' [x]. It's not entirely convincing, there's a significant amount of faffing about, second-guessing, and attention seeking throughout Cicero's career, with energy and clear direction only seeming to arrive in his wrangling with Antony, highlighted by the Philippics. He's very much a man of words rather than action, successful in small bursts that often seem more luck than judgement, and very susceptible to the currents surrounding more powerful men. That he had 'clear aims' which he 'very nearly realised' [x] seems a stretch. Nevertheless, Cicero's skills an orator and writer are obvious, the volume of extant sources attest to that. If it sometimes seems that his usefulness might be more as a chronicler of the time than a politician, well, just don't say it in front of Everitt....
While there's nothing new or challenging here, and despite his book coming across as a bit of an apologia, Everitt provides an engaging story for a general readership. For those wanting more, there's a selection of sources at the back of the book, and of course, there's Cicero's own works there for the reading.
While there's nothing new or challenging here, and despite his book coming across as a bit of an apologia, Everitt provides an engaging story for a general readership. For those wanting more, there's a selection of sources at the back of the book, and of course, there's Cicero's own works there for the reading.
August 11, 2016
Now I badly need to read a comparative analysis of Caesar and Cicero - there is something amazing there.
October 15, 2011
The fundamental difficulty of writing a life of Cicero is that he's not the most interesting person in the story by a long shot. The trouble is that he has to share the stage with Caesar, who's bold, sexy -- every man's woman and every woman's man -- far-sighted enough to understand that the ship of the Republic had well and truly sunk, loyal to friends and merciful to enemies -- at least so long as they were potentially useful -- in short, one of the great men of history.
Cicero, by way of contrast, was a bit of a ditherer, prone to dissembling and not committing to anything until the last possible moment (and then prone to changing his mind); he prosecuted or defended a number of high-profile court cases, but in most instances raw political power of the more important factions determined the outcome; and when he was briefly able to play a leading role after Caesar's assassination, it didn't exactly end well. Devoted enough to serving and preserving the Republic, he lacked the capacity or vision to realize its flaws and the need for radical reform.
As a result, it would take a strong biographer not to take Cicero's life and turn it into a sort of synecdoche of the Republic, his own vacillation and weakness standing in for the ineffectiveness of a political institution on its last legs, contrasted with the magnetic, grasping dynamism of an Empire, personified by Caesar.
Everitt, to his credit, avoids this temptation, but does so by taking the puzzling approach turning his book into an exercise in apologetics. Repeatedly, we're told that Cicero was making the best of a bad situation, or not in a position to make strong decisions, or just lacked the capacity for large-scale leadership. There's some truth in this litany of excuses, but Everitt seems to be trying to make the case that but for one or two unfortunate flaws of character, education, or position, Cicero might have been another Caesar or Augustus, at least an Antony.
Of course, this strains credulity, and it's also to Everitt's credit that he provides the evidence allowing the reader to realize he's stretching. The book is a nice balance of concision and comprehensiveness, leading the reader through the proto-Byzantine web of plots and factions that characterized Rome at the fall of the Republic, providing not just Cicero's take on the lead players but also a more objective look at what he missed.
It's just that the analysis at the end has a systematic bias that's hard to take seriously. The most egregious example is probably where after relating how Cicero, as consul, helped roll up a plot to overthrow the Republic, then panicked and executed some of the conspirators without trial, over loud protest. Again, the book makes clear that this was an ill-informed overreaction, with many other leaders correctly counselling restraint -- but Everitt attempts to downplay the magnitude of the error, even as Cicero's peers exile him and hold years'-long grudges over it.
Not to get too far down on the guy -- but the main draw here is definitely that Cicero was a reasonably good observer of an incredibly interesting period of history, playing an interesting albeit minor role, not that he was or even might have been one of the main protagonists. The more Everitt strays into the latter story, the weaker the book becomes.
Before wrapping up, I should note that there's a potential objection here: the genius of his oratory and prose are in large measure why old Tully's revered, not for being a cunning politician or a great leader, so why shouldn't an appraisal of the biography focus on that? Well, yes, but the problem is, the genius of said prose doesn't come across too well in translation; his Latin syntax may be admirably balanced, but reading his speeches in English, power and force don't come through that clearly (though he is endearingly bitchy in his letters). While some writers are at least partially celebrated for the role they played in key events -- Milton, let's say -- they tend to have some masterpiece upon which to hang their hats, clearly overshadowing the parts of their biography wrapped up in politics and war. And for the modern reader, Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon is a much more salient reference point than the rhetorical heft of Against Verres.
Cicero, by way of contrast, was a bit of a ditherer, prone to dissembling and not committing to anything until the last possible moment (and then prone to changing his mind); he prosecuted or defended a number of high-profile court cases, but in most instances raw political power of the more important factions determined the outcome; and when he was briefly able to play a leading role after Caesar's assassination, it didn't exactly end well. Devoted enough to serving and preserving the Republic, he lacked the capacity or vision to realize its flaws and the need for radical reform.
As a result, it would take a strong biographer not to take Cicero's life and turn it into a sort of synecdoche of the Republic, his own vacillation and weakness standing in for the ineffectiveness of a political institution on its last legs, contrasted with the magnetic, grasping dynamism of an Empire, personified by Caesar.
Everitt, to his credit, avoids this temptation, but does so by taking the puzzling approach turning his book into an exercise in apologetics. Repeatedly, we're told that Cicero was making the best of a bad situation, or not in a position to make strong decisions, or just lacked the capacity for large-scale leadership. There's some truth in this litany of excuses, but Everitt seems to be trying to make the case that but for one or two unfortunate flaws of character, education, or position, Cicero might have been another Caesar or Augustus, at least an Antony.
Of course, this strains credulity, and it's also to Everitt's credit that he provides the evidence allowing the reader to realize he's stretching. The book is a nice balance of concision and comprehensiveness, leading the reader through the proto-Byzantine web of plots and factions that characterized Rome at the fall of the Republic, providing not just Cicero's take on the lead players but also a more objective look at what he missed.
It's just that the analysis at the end has a systematic bias that's hard to take seriously. The most egregious example is probably where after relating how Cicero, as consul, helped roll up a plot to overthrow the Republic, then panicked and executed some of the conspirators without trial, over loud protest. Again, the book makes clear that this was an ill-informed overreaction, with many other leaders correctly counselling restraint -- but Everitt attempts to downplay the magnitude of the error, even as Cicero's peers exile him and hold years'-long grudges over it.
Not to get too far down on the guy -- but the main draw here is definitely that Cicero was a reasonably good observer of an incredibly interesting period of history, playing an interesting albeit minor role, not that he was or even might have been one of the main protagonists. The more Everitt strays into the latter story, the weaker the book becomes.
Before wrapping up, I should note that there's a potential objection here: the genius of his oratory and prose are in large measure why old Tully's revered, not for being a cunning politician or a great leader, so why shouldn't an appraisal of the biography focus on that? Well, yes, but the problem is, the genius of said prose doesn't come across too well in translation; his Latin syntax may be admirably balanced, but reading his speeches in English, power and force don't come through that clearly (though he is endearingly bitchy in his letters). While some writers are at least partially celebrated for the role they played in key events -- Milton, let's say -- they tend to have some masterpiece upon which to hang their hats, clearly overshadowing the parts of their biography wrapped up in politics and war. And for the modern reader, Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon is a much more salient reference point than the rhetorical heft of Against Verres.
March 9, 2022
Few people can boast a career as remarkable as Cicero’s. Starting as an obscure lawyer and relying solely on his talents and abilities, he ended up in charge of the Roman Republic. And he wasn’t even a native. Anthony Everitt’s eponymous book tells the gripping story of how this happened.
Cicero was born in 106 B.C.E. in Arpino, today’s Italy. His family was part of the local aristocracy but by no means wealthy. He received a good education in oratory and literature and fell in love with both. Early on, he became determined to excel, and the Roman Forum was to be his arena. Years later, Julius Caesar would remark that he “had won greater laurels than those worn by a general in his Triumph, for it meant more to have extended the frontiers of Roman genius than of its empire.”
In Cicero’s time, the city of Rome had about one million inhabitants, but the Republic was much bigger. There were shopping malls, bars, and a lively cultural scene in which theater, literature, and sport played prominent roles. There were laws but no official law enforcement agents. The constitution contained so many “checks and balances … [that it] is somewhat surprising that anything was ever decided.” The state lacked public prosecution and penal systems. It sold the rights to collect taxes to the highest bidder. Women were deemed unworthy of first names. And every fourth person was a slave.
Heads of state were two consuls elected for a one-year mandate. Below them were the praetors, aediles, and quaestors. In theory, every male Roman citizen could make it to the top. In practice, however, a handful of wealthy families dominated the best positions. Cicero was an exception, albeit not without precedent.
To compensate for his low birth, he tried to draw as much attention to himself as possible. For the most part, he was a fair ruler and was willing to converse with almost anybody. He even took great pains to learn the names and addresses of important people. But he was also a man of his time: he saw nothing wrong in owning “talking instruments,” i.e., slaves.
Cicero wanted to combine the best of monarchy, democracy, and aristocracy in an improved version of Rome. He “stood for the rule of law and the maintenance of a constitution in which all social groups could play a part, but where the Senate took the lead according to ancestral tradition.” When Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus asked him to help them take over Rome, he refused on moral grounds and suffered the consequences. Later on, he organized a civil war against Mark Antony, whom he considered an enemy of the Republic.
Cicero was an outstanding lawyer, politician, writer, and philosopher. He used the power of oratory to make Rome a better place. And he paid with his life for this. The head that had created fourteen philippics against Mark Antony and the right hand that had written them down were nailed onto the speaker’s platform in the Forum. Thus, the man of words was silenced forever.
On the whole, Anthony Everitt has done a good job. His Cicero comes across as a real person with real emotions, dreams, aspirations, beliefs, and faults. Even though the events take place more than two millennia ago, they are relatable to the modern world. Every government can be improved. And every person can learn something from Cicero.
Cicero was born in 106 B.C.E. in Arpino, today’s Italy. His family was part of the local aristocracy but by no means wealthy. He received a good education in oratory and literature and fell in love with both. Early on, he became determined to excel, and the Roman Forum was to be his arena. Years later, Julius Caesar would remark that he “had won greater laurels than those worn by a general in his Triumph, for it meant more to have extended the frontiers of Roman genius than of its empire.”
In Cicero’s time, the city of Rome had about one million inhabitants, but the Republic was much bigger. There were shopping malls, bars, and a lively cultural scene in which theater, literature, and sport played prominent roles. There were laws but no official law enforcement agents. The constitution contained so many “checks and balances … [that it] is somewhat surprising that anything was ever decided.” The state lacked public prosecution and penal systems. It sold the rights to collect taxes to the highest bidder. Women were deemed unworthy of first names. And every fourth person was a slave.
Heads of state were two consuls elected for a one-year mandate. Below them were the praetors, aediles, and quaestors. In theory, every male Roman citizen could make it to the top. In practice, however, a handful of wealthy families dominated the best positions. Cicero was an exception, albeit not without precedent.
To compensate for his low birth, he tried to draw as much attention to himself as possible. For the most part, he was a fair ruler and was willing to converse with almost anybody. He even took great pains to learn the names and addresses of important people. But he was also a man of his time: he saw nothing wrong in owning “talking instruments,” i.e., slaves.
Cicero wanted to combine the best of monarchy, democracy, and aristocracy in an improved version of Rome. He “stood for the rule of law and the maintenance of a constitution in which all social groups could play a part, but where the Senate took the lead according to ancestral tradition.” When Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus asked him to help them take over Rome, he refused on moral grounds and suffered the consequences. Later on, he organized a civil war against Mark Antony, whom he considered an enemy of the Republic.
Cicero was an outstanding lawyer, politician, writer, and philosopher. He used the power of oratory to make Rome a better place. And he paid with his life for this. The head that had created fourteen philippics against Mark Antony and the right hand that had written them down were nailed onto the speaker’s platform in the Forum. Thus, the man of words was silenced forever.
On the whole, Anthony Everitt has done a good job. His Cicero comes across as a real person with real emotions, dreams, aspirations, beliefs, and faults. Even though the events take place more than two millennia ago, they are relatable to the modern world. Every government can be improved. And every person can learn something from Cicero.
February 20, 2008
As a Classicist, I've always had a soft spot for old Cicero. He was the first author I read in the Latin language and my fondness for him continues to this day. That being said, Cicero the man certainly had his flaws, which Everitt exposes well in this book.
Cicero's one true desire was to be loved and accepted by the Senate. His inability to crack into the ultimate old boys' club, despite his talents, led to unfortunate grasping and timidity at the core of his character. Despite constantly aiming for greatness, he too often equivocated or went too far in his policies, tone deaf with self-doubt. That being said, he was committed to the Roman constitution and constantly worked for reconciliation between the factions that ultimately destroyed the Republic with their quarrels.
Everitt shows us the deeply-rooted conflicts and flaws that composed Cicero's character. With Cicero as his frame of reference, the events of the First Triumvirate and the Civil Wars appear less dashing than, say, Caesar would have you believe. Very interesting read, though not for everyone.
Cicero's one true desire was to be loved and accepted by the Senate. His inability to crack into the ultimate old boys' club, despite his talents, led to unfortunate grasping and timidity at the core of his character. Despite constantly aiming for greatness, he too often equivocated or went too far in his policies, tone deaf with self-doubt. That being said, he was committed to the Roman constitution and constantly worked for reconciliation between the factions that ultimately destroyed the Republic with their quarrels.
Everitt shows us the deeply-rooted conflicts and flaws that composed Cicero's character. With Cicero as his frame of reference, the events of the First Triumvirate and the Civil Wars appear less dashing than, say, Caesar would have you believe. Very interesting read, though not for everyone.
February 13, 2008
The funny thing is, I was glad enough to have been exposed to Cicero through Everitt's fine prose and superb scholarship but I don't care a bit to read more about the man.
What Everitt does better than anything else is illuminate the earthy, visceral mayhem that was Rome. Ceasar, Crassus, Pompey, Octavian, Brutus.
He makes everything come alive in a way that has gotten me hankering to tackle anything else that's going to give me the same primal, political fury and grandeur I got from these pages.
the thing that gets me is the juxtaposition between the utterly sophisticated and far-reaching intellectuality of the people who were out and about around 40 BC. How advanced they were- culurally, economically, politically, artistically.
And yet....they lived in caves and had no public lighting and stabbed each other when they were drunk at parties. Wildness and mayhem taking place amid all the cool apollonian rationality and abstract calculation.
A fascinating mix. Everitt does a splendid job of bringing this to life. Ironically, Cicero seems almost bland and tepid when contrasted with this vibrant and pulsating canvas.
It says his next book will be about Augustus. I seriously cannot wait!
January 12, 2023
Herisova trilogija o Ciceronu natera te da se zaljubiš u ovog filhelena, koji je u jednom turbulentnom razdoblju (moglo bi se doduše diskutovati o mišljenju da li je 6 godina u vreme pada Republike najturbulentniji period ljudske istorije nakon 6 godina 2. svetskog rata) pokušao da sačuva svoju veru u tradicionalne vrednosti. Za vreme Pompeja, Julija Cezara i Marka Antonija, pomalo romantično je verovao da je moguć povratak u pravednije vreme stare Republike.
Nakon što pročitaš ovu biografiju, ili neka njegova pisma Atiku, ipak ti je jasno da nije bio svetac. Advokat (a "advokat nije dužan da otkriva istinu ili da se drži iste, već priča o onome što je moguće - sudija je tu zbog istine") i vlasnik 9 vila, koji je bio spreman da bude popustljiv u ono što je verovao. Najveći među oratorima, koji je ipak imao probleme sa tremom pred svaki javni nastup, a za vreme govora stalno razmišljao da li je "obećao premalo ili previše". Bez obzira na to, čini mi se da ostaje pozitivna ličnost - možda ne takav predstavnik helenske vrline poput Katona, ali svakako neko ko se zalagao za političku pravdu i poštovanje ustava, često i na svoju štetu. Neko ko je bio zaljubljen u staru grčku filozofiju, uzimao najbolje iz nje i pokušao da je primeni u vremenu za koje možda i nije bila najpodesnija.
Everit je ovo napisao interesantno - osim njegovog života, tu je i dosta detalja o životu u antičkom Rimu. Zapamtio sam delove o izdavaštvu u to vreme, prepisivanju, čitanju bez razmaka i bez malih slova, pasusa ili punktuacije. Čitaoci su baš morali da se trude. S druge strane, nije baš ni da je ovo vrhunac čitalačkog uživanja. Za tako nešto, trebalo bi da se vratim Herisu.
Nakon što pročitaš ovu biografiju, ili neka njegova pisma Atiku, ipak ti je jasno da nije bio svetac. Advokat (a "advokat nije dužan da otkriva istinu ili da se drži iste, već priča o onome što je moguće - sudija je tu zbog istine") i vlasnik 9 vila, koji je bio spreman da bude popustljiv u ono što je verovao. Najveći među oratorima, koji je ipak imao probleme sa tremom pred svaki javni nastup, a za vreme govora stalno razmišljao da li je "obećao premalo ili previše". Bez obzira na to, čini mi se da ostaje pozitivna ličnost - možda ne takav predstavnik helenske vrline poput Katona, ali svakako neko ko se zalagao za političku pravdu i poštovanje ustava, često i na svoju štetu. Neko ko je bio zaljubljen u staru grčku filozofiju, uzimao najbolje iz nje i pokušao da je primeni u vremenu za koje možda i nije bila najpodesnija.
Everit je ovo napisao interesantno - osim njegovog života, tu je i dosta detalja o životu u antičkom Rimu. Zapamtio sam delove o izdavaštvu u to vreme, prepisivanju, čitanju bez razmaka i bez malih slova, pasusa ili punktuacije. Čitaoci su baš morali da se trude. S druge strane, nije baš ni da je ovo vrhunac čitalačkog uživanja. Za tako nešto, trebalo bi da se vratim Herisu.
July 20, 2023
The history of ancient Rome is populated with dozens, even hundreds, of interesting characters. There were great literary artists like Horace and Juvenal, monsters like Nero and Caligula, and generals like Scipio and Caesar, but for my money the most interesting, and appealing of all these men, is probably Cicero. He was a upstart, the greatest lawyer and orator of his age, a skilled politician, a writer, and a defender of the Republic. A ton of sources, including many of Cicero's own writings and letters, have survived and Everitt is able to bring the great man convincingly back to life in this excellent biography.
And it is quite an eventful life, involving high stakes legal battles, the conspiracy of Cataline, political intrigue, personal drama, and Cicero's final, and ultimately unsuccessful efforts to preserve the Republic. Everitt writes with solid judgement and the ability to tell a good story, and I enjoyed rereading this book very much.
And it is quite an eventful life, involving high stakes legal battles, the conspiracy of Cataline, political intrigue, personal drama, and Cicero's final, and ultimately unsuccessful efforts to preserve the Republic. Everitt writes with solid judgement and the ability to tell a good story, and I enjoyed rereading this book very much.
April 25, 2025
Like most people I have heard of Cicero, Caesar, Augustus, Cleopatra, and Mark Antony but I have absolutely no idea why they’re famous. This book dives into all of them but unfortunately the most entertaining people are everyone but Cicero.
The first half was a huge slog but when shit hits the fan for all the people named above this book becomes a blast. So much political back stabbing you’d have thought this was Game of Thrones.
I also never knew that Cicero’s teachings were where America’s founding fathers got most of their knowledge to make an advanced civilization that unfortunately gets squandered with just about every single modern senate meeting.
The first half was a huge slog but when shit hits the fan for all the people named above this book becomes a blast. So much political back stabbing you’d have thought this was Game of Thrones.
I also never knew that Cicero’s teachings were where America’s founding fathers got most of their knowledge to make an advanced civilization that unfortunately gets squandered with just about every single modern senate meeting.
May 27, 2021
Cicero, oh Cicero. Ancient Rome’s most famous orator. Ancient Rome’s most famous ego. Ancient Rome’s most famous should-I-stay-or-should-I-go personality. In today’s world, I wonder what side he would choose?
Marcus Tullius Cicero was born to well-off gentry when Rome was still a republic. He became one of the New Men who surprised the old order of optimates by becoming a consul of the Roman Senate, even though he was never accepted by the aristocracy. He really didn’t represent the populares either, so he was destined to be the middle guy during the most tumultuous time of ancient history. Rather like an automobile dealer.
He remains one of the most famous of Romans, yet he could have been so much more if he hadn’t been surrounded by some of the greatest names in history. Julius Caesar. Pompey. Crassus. Mark Antony. Brutus. Cato The Younger. Cassius. Octavius. If we didn’t have Cicero’s voluminous writings (hundreds of letters), it’s doubtful we would think as highly of him as we still do. Or, at least as some people still do. But Cicero was not a military man in a time of military life, when Sulla and Gaius Marius and then Caesar turned to soldiers to secure their destinies. Cicero’s greatness stemmed from his stubborn adherence to the idea of a republic even when it became clear the old republic had long since lost its usefulness.
In the end, Cicero lost his way. Disillusioned by Julius Caesar’s disinclination to reform the unwritten Roman constitution, the great orator sided with Caesar’s assassins (he himself was not part of the plot) mainly, it seemed, because the upheaval made Cicero the main man in the Senate again. But he couldn’t get himself out of his own way and after angering both Antony and then, most dangerous of all, Octavius, Cicero’s life became forfeit. Oh, Cicero. WTF were you thinking?
Anthony Everitt does such a wonderful job with this biography that I felt I was reading about someone alive in society today. I have never been a fan of Cicero, but Everitt made me want to cheer for the little dude at times. If he lived today, Cicero would no doubt be endlessly extolling himself as a social media influencer while making guest appearances on news networks. He would be posting constantly on LinkedIn about his ability to improve any situation. He would be hawking cryptocurrency on Twitter while sending warning snail mails to the Silent Majority. The issue I have with Cicero, even after reading this, is that I have never accepted his saintliness. He loved his money and especially, he loved the feeling of power. After he executed the Catiline rebels (illegally in my opinion), his ego soared to another level and that was his ultimate undoing.
I was reading this when the United States Capitol insurrectionists tried to subvert the legal election and I wondered where Cicero would have stood. With the Trumpists (Pompey)? With the Liberals (Caesar)? With the bewildered centrists (Brutus)? With the “people” (Antony)? I don’t know. But I would never, ever, trust him.
Book Season = Winter (master of the smear)
Marcus Tullius Cicero was born to well-off gentry when Rome was still a republic. He became one of the New Men who surprised the old order of optimates by becoming a consul of the Roman Senate, even though he was never accepted by the aristocracy. He really didn’t represent the populares either, so he was destined to be the middle guy during the most tumultuous time of ancient history. Rather like an automobile dealer.
He remains one of the most famous of Romans, yet he could have been so much more if he hadn’t been surrounded by some of the greatest names in history. Julius Caesar. Pompey. Crassus. Mark Antony. Brutus. Cato The Younger. Cassius. Octavius. If we didn’t have Cicero’s voluminous writings (hundreds of letters), it’s doubtful we would think as highly of him as we still do. Or, at least as some people still do. But Cicero was not a military man in a time of military life, when Sulla and Gaius Marius and then Caesar turned to soldiers to secure their destinies. Cicero’s greatness stemmed from his stubborn adherence to the idea of a republic even when it became clear the old republic had long since lost its usefulness.
In the end, Cicero lost his way. Disillusioned by Julius Caesar’s disinclination to reform the unwritten Roman constitution, the great orator sided with Caesar’s assassins (he himself was not part of the plot) mainly, it seemed, because the upheaval made Cicero the main man in the Senate again. But he couldn’t get himself out of his own way and after angering both Antony and then, most dangerous of all, Octavius, Cicero’s life became forfeit. Oh, Cicero. WTF were you thinking?
Anthony Everitt does such a wonderful job with this biography that I felt I was reading about someone alive in society today. I have never been a fan of Cicero, but Everitt made me want to cheer for the little dude at times. If he lived today, Cicero would no doubt be endlessly extolling himself as a social media influencer while making guest appearances on news networks. He would be posting constantly on LinkedIn about his ability to improve any situation. He would be hawking cryptocurrency on Twitter while sending warning snail mails to the Silent Majority. The issue I have with Cicero, even after reading this, is that I have never accepted his saintliness. He loved his money and especially, he loved the feeling of power. After he executed the Catiline rebels (illegally in my opinion), his ego soared to another level and that was his ultimate undoing.
I was reading this when the United States Capitol insurrectionists tried to subvert the legal election and I wondered where Cicero would have stood. With the Trumpists (Pompey)? With the Liberals (Caesar)? With the bewildered centrists (Brutus)? With the “people” (Antony)? I don’t know. But I would never, ever, trust him.
Book Season = Winter (master of the smear)
June 9, 2023
I feel this book has new relevance for American readers given our own challenges with maintaining our Constitutional system in an era of polarization and amoral political agency.
The career of the politician/writer/lawyer Marcus Cicero spans a crucial period in the history of Ancient Rome. Cicero was a voice for maintaining the lawful traditions of Roman constitutionalism. Those efforts, some of which were abandoned in the end, of course, fell apart in the wake of pressure from competing military strongmen like Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony, and Caesar's adopted son, Octavian (later Augustus Caesar).
I had read little about this extraordinary man--all the more amazing for the fact that, unlike almost all the major players in the Late Republic, he was NOT a military leader nor a member of the aristocracy that dominated the Senate.
Cicero was a "new man" from the provinces who rose to fame on his grit and ambition. He was, according to Anthony Everitt, a vain man given to, flights of oratory, making enemies, wooing other powerful men, and generally "tooting his own horn". In other words, a natural politician.
I enjoyed reading Robert Harris' recent trilogy of autobiographical novels about Cicero and the machinations he had to devise to survive and thrive in the cut-throat world of military power plays and street gang terror. (Rome had no police force at this time, and most people wisely stayed shut up in their homes after sundown.) Everitt's book is more academic, but just as engaging. You learn where Cicero succeeded and failed as a state actor. He comes off as a very smart man, an inexhaustible author of philosophical books, and oratory, He was also a keen letter-writer (thankfully), and the letters his friend Atticus preserved give us a near-complete record of his day-to-day navigating for and against the formidable First Triumvirate of Julius Caesar, Pompey and the wealthy glory hound Crassus when they undermined the rule of law.
Cicero's support for any one of those three men at any time always appears to center around supporting a restoration of the republic he loved.
Some might say in hindsight that he made some serious mistakes in the last chapter of his life as far as his "philippics" (i.e., attacks) against Marc Anthony and in guarded support of the young but wily Octavian. Mr. Everitt's masterful book makes clear that no man who risks doing something of lasting significance can totally govern his own fate.
The career of the politician/writer/lawyer Marcus Cicero spans a crucial period in the history of Ancient Rome. Cicero was a voice for maintaining the lawful traditions of Roman constitutionalism. Those efforts, some of which were abandoned in the end, of course, fell apart in the wake of pressure from competing military strongmen like Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony, and Caesar's adopted son, Octavian (later Augustus Caesar).
I had read little about this extraordinary man--all the more amazing for the fact that, unlike almost all the major players in the Late Republic, he was NOT a military leader nor a member of the aristocracy that dominated the Senate.
Cicero was a "new man" from the provinces who rose to fame on his grit and ambition. He was, according to Anthony Everitt, a vain man given to, flights of oratory, making enemies, wooing other powerful men, and generally "tooting his own horn". In other words, a natural politician.
I enjoyed reading Robert Harris' recent trilogy of autobiographical novels about Cicero and the machinations he had to devise to survive and thrive in the cut-throat world of military power plays and street gang terror. (Rome had no police force at this time, and most people wisely stayed shut up in their homes after sundown.) Everitt's book is more academic, but just as engaging. You learn where Cicero succeeded and failed as a state actor. He comes off as a very smart man, an inexhaustible author of philosophical books, and oratory, He was also a keen letter-writer (thankfully), and the letters his friend Atticus preserved give us a near-complete record of his day-to-day navigating for and against the formidable First Triumvirate of Julius Caesar, Pompey and the wealthy glory hound Crassus when they undermined the rule of law.
Cicero's support for any one of those three men at any time always appears to center around supporting a restoration of the republic he loved.
Some might say in hindsight that he made some serious mistakes in the last chapter of his life as far as his "philippics" (i.e., attacks) against Marc Anthony and in guarded support of the young but wily Octavian. Mr. Everitt's masterful book makes clear that no man who risks doing something of lasting significance can totally govern his own fate.
June 3, 2023
the fact that it took me ten months to read this book is not a condemnation; it's because i was driven here by, and read it alongside, robert harris's cicero trilogy. and that was a good decision, because this is the nonfiction foil to that, and it was immensely fun to see which anecdotes harris plucked from real-life history (spoiler alert: most of them, including most of cicero's quips, and on that note, no wonder they cut his head off, because this man could not keep his mouth shut to save his life. NO filter on this bitch).
in general i trust anthony everitt, because his biography of augustus is one of the items i drop as loot when killed, and this one was great for all the same reasons that one is: everitt balances detailed historical chronicling with very readable prose and a quick pace. this book has an advantage over that one, which is that we have so much of cicero's writing today; the fact that his own words are peppered throughout the text makes the book's portrait of his personality and political career all the clearer. if you want to know things about cicero, especially if you don't know much about his era, this is your book. there WAS a weird moment where everitt bent over backwards to make sure we knew cicero wasn't gay but i forgive that because it was 2001 and it's funny when straight people get nervous
in general i trust anthony everitt, because his biography of augustus is one of the items i drop as loot when killed, and this one was great for all the same reasons that one is: everitt balances detailed historical chronicling with very readable prose and a quick pace. this book has an advantage over that one, which is that we have so much of cicero's writing today; the fact that his own words are peppered throughout the text makes the book's portrait of his personality and political career all the clearer. if you want to know things about cicero, especially if you don't know much about his era, this is your book. there WAS a weird moment where everitt bent over backwards to make sure we knew cicero wasn't gay but i forgive that because it was 2001 and it's funny when straight people get nervous
August 27, 2022
Excellent biography of one of the pivotal figures in Western history and culture. Cicero was a public advocate, statesman, and philosopher who lived in an extraordinary period of crisis, which eventually led to the end of the Roman Republic. His contemporaries were figures larger than life, like Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, Octavian (the future emperor Augustus), Cleopatra, Pompey the Great, and Cato the Younger, to name but a few. Everitt's book provides a nuanced and fair assessment of Cicero's time and life. The central character comes across as brilliant, flawed, and ultimately very, very human. A must read for anyone interested in Roman culture and history. Or in culture and history period.
February 1, 2020
A great biography of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Lawyer, philosopher, patriot, politician, a humanist before humanism, Cicero was the greatest Roman of them all. If you only intend to read one biography of an ancient Roman, skip the emperors, skip the generals, read the life of this decent and noble man.
March 30, 2018
Cicero (106-43 B.C.), the greatest orator of the late Roman Republic.
I recently finished Charlemagne (c.742-814), and was surprised there was so little biographical information about him. So, when I started this biography, about a man who lived almost 1000 years before that, I was surprised at the amount of information about his childhood, first court cases, and his wives, to name a few subjects. The number of letters he wrote that survived is dumbfounding to me. I can only imagine how far an orator of his stature could go today, whether it be for good or evil.
When I think Cicero, I think of his quotes. Below are a few of my favorites in no order:
- “The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living.”
- “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
- “Politicians are not born; they are excreted.”
- “The life of the dead is placed on the memories of the living. The love you gave in life keeps people alive beyond their time. Anyone who was given love will always live on in another's heart.”
- “Life is nothing without friendship.”
- “Our span of life is brief, but is long enough for us to live well and honestly.”
- “A friend is a second self”
I recently finished Charlemagne (c.742-814), and was surprised there was so little biographical information about him. So, when I started this biography, about a man who lived almost 1000 years before that, I was surprised at the amount of information about his childhood, first court cases, and his wives, to name a few subjects. The number of letters he wrote that survived is dumbfounding to me. I can only imagine how far an orator of his stature could go today, whether it be for good or evil.
When I think Cicero, I think of his quotes. Below are a few of my favorites in no order:
- “The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living.”
- “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
- “Politicians are not born; they are excreted.”
- “The life of the dead is placed on the memories of the living. The love you gave in life keeps people alive beyond their time. Anyone who was given love will always live on in another's heart.”
- “Life is nothing without friendship.”
- “Our span of life is brief, but is long enough for us to live well and honestly.”
- “A friend is a second self”
October 8, 2010
Cicero by Anthony Everitt is a good account of the man's life in the sense that it is relatively short, entertaining, and modern in voice. It is a good supplement to Cicero's letters which are very entertaining in their own right. (And much more worth your time) My big criticism of the book was Everitt's political opinions that he did not hold back. (Clearly populares) I was pretty disturbed by the end of the book where when summing up Cicero's life, and the Republic he had devoted himself to preserving, Everitt heaped praise on Augustus for preserving much of the bureaucratic machinery of the Republic by destroying the Republic. He noted that offices like the Consuls continued to exist. (I believe Caligula's horse stood for this prestigious office not long after it was "preserved") I think this take is crazy when considering that immediately following Augustus the world received Tiberius as its sovereign. Followed up by the likes of Caligula, Nero, Commodus, Caracalla, and Elagabalus to name a few. The chaos and infighting that the Republic experienced from time to time was vastly superior to the terror and atrocities the captive Romans endured nearly every time a new Emperor came into power. It is regrettable but understandable since Everitt had an Augustus bio in the works at the time. Just wish he had paid ole Cicero the respect he deserved there at the end. (Long live the optimates!)
December 15, 2015
A definitive biography of Cicero, spanning his earliest years to slightly after his untimely end. If anything, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician includes too much information. The last years of the republic were turbulent with so many political players and various plots and counter-plots, that it is impossible to weave it all into one smooth narrative. Everitt does a pretty good job but, occasionally, I was bewildered the sheer amount of information that he was cramming into each section. Within the culture, religion, personal preferences, economy, political policies, speeches, personal lives, food, and building layouts, Everitt shows Cicero to be a complex and moral man if perhaps not always a politically effective one.
If you enjoyed this book, I'd recommend reading The Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough (epic retelling of Roman history) or any of Cicero's translated works. Even if you don't understand the original Latin, I'm sure that you'll appreciate his words. In the Latin, Cicero built his argument not only with the force of his words but also in the way that he arranged the words on the page. It's an incredible form of communication that doesn't really have an English equivalent.
If you enjoyed this book, I'd recommend reading The Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough (epic retelling of Roman history) or any of Cicero's translated works. Even if you don't understand the original Latin, I'm sure that you'll appreciate his words. In the Latin, Cicero built his argument not only with the force of his words but also in the way that he arranged the words on the page. It's an incredible form of communication that doesn't really have an English equivalent.
December 2, 2025
This was quite engaging, a readable and informative but not dull biography. A bit limited in that Cicero's best works were in his writings (or oratory); in action, he comes off as something of a vain, waffling coward - not exactly the ideal protagonist. (Compare his dithering journeys toward a firm opinion on the Caesar/Pompey and later the Antony/Octavian conflicts with the stark determination of those men; he may have been the better person, but one enjoys the others far more.)
September 6, 2023
I listened to this in audio, and while I can't say I'm a fan of Cicero, this book helped me not only learn a lot more about Cicero, but also about all kinds of aspects of the late Roman Empire.
March 27, 2017
A well written biography on Cicero, provides good insight to the hows and whys of the death of the Republic and the task thrust upon the man. Parts of the books subject matter were fairly dry for me though, hence the rating. Regardless I look forward to reading the authors other biographies on Roman figures.
December 2, 2021
Engaging biography of Cicero. Everitt does a good job of detailing the time period as well.
September 4, 2020
A concise, brisk and well-written biography of Cicero.
The narrative is readable and elegant. Everitt does a good job putting Cicero into the context of his times and describes Rome’s lack of a real city government, the political deadlock, and Cicero’s role in pretty much all of his day’s major political events (except the plot against Caesar) The book is pretty balanced, and Everitt does not idealize Cicero.
The narrative is entertaining and accessible but speculative, sometimes breathless and not always engaging. Also, there are no footnotes, he seems to rely too heavily on ancient sources, and Everitt doesn’t adequately explain Cicero’s appeal to later generations.
A clear and intriguing work.
The narrative is readable and elegant. Everitt does a good job putting Cicero into the context of his times and describes Rome’s lack of a real city government, the political deadlock, and Cicero’s role in pretty much all of his day’s major political events (except the plot against Caesar) The book is pretty balanced, and Everitt does not idealize Cicero.
The narrative is entertaining and accessible but speculative, sometimes breathless and not always engaging. Also, there are no footnotes, he seems to rely too heavily on ancient sources, and Everitt doesn’t adequately explain Cicero’s appeal to later generations.
A clear and intriguing work.
September 29, 2024
Ah, what hidden benefits of spraining your knee……reading whilst waiting for the slow wheels of the UK medical system to move……
Like many of my generation, classics (language, history, philosophy, and literature) were our substitute for video games. In Latin classes, after getting the correct hard-c of Cicero’s name drilled into our impressionable heads, we translated his works and even played his part in Latin language oratory practice. So, to read this (passable) history was a nice return to familiar fields.
Like many of my generation, classics (language, history, philosophy, and literature) were our substitute for video games. In Latin classes, after getting the correct hard-c of Cicero’s name drilled into our impressionable heads, we translated his works and even played his part in Latin language oratory practice. So, to read this (passable) history was a nice return to familiar fields.
September 13, 2025
None of this was really new for me as I'm familiar with a lot of the material but Everitt made it compelling. I've read other books which are not as admiring of Cicero but I thought this book made him a more compelling figure. And while it wasn't a paean exactly, Everitt is definately an admirer. And he did make me one as well - and for that I loved the book. Worth reading as an introduction to the period and if you just want a compellingly written book.
August 26, 2024
The fact that Cicero survived as long as he did is astounding. The man was a political nincompoop (lovingly).
March 5, 2021
Everitt is the “easy listening” of ancient history: accessible, enjoyable, unremarkable.
November 19, 2022
I learned a lot about Cicero and ancient Rome, yet the book was dull and hard to get through.
I expected, b/c of all his admirers, to discover a great man. But as I read about Cicero, I came to dislike him. He strikes me as a typical weaselly politician. He talked a lot about principles and convictions, but traded his own for power and prestige. His lifelong ambition and desire for fame is offputting. He doesn't seem invested in his own family even. In his 60's, he got divorced and then married a wealthy teenager.
Cicero also believed that the highest principle was loyalty to one's own country over all else. I get that he grew up in a different era, but I think a true genius-philosopher would be able to see beyond this. In fact, I know of some who did.
Supposedly he was the greatest orator that ever lived. But we can't know this of course. I do like that he was skeptical and dismissive of most of the popular superstitions of his day. And it does seem he was very quick on his feet--there are many instances given of his superb wit. I would say he lived an interesting life, but not a great one.
I expected, b/c of all his admirers, to discover a great man. But as I read about Cicero, I came to dislike him. He strikes me as a typical weaselly politician. He talked a lot about principles and convictions, but traded his own for power and prestige. His lifelong ambition and desire for fame is offputting. He doesn't seem invested in his own family even. In his 60's, he got divorced and then married a wealthy teenager.
Cicero also believed that the highest principle was loyalty to one's own country over all else. I get that he grew up in a different era, but I think a true genius-philosopher would be able to see beyond this. In fact, I know of some who did.
Supposedly he was the greatest orator that ever lived. But we can't know this of course. I do like that he was skeptical and dismissive of most of the popular superstitions of his day. And it does seem he was very quick on his feet--there are many instances given of his superb wit. I would say he lived an interesting life, but not a great one.
November 3, 2017
An adequate biography, a good companion to Imperium by Robert Harris but to counter any inherent hagiography, don't skip Michael Parenti and his anti-classicist The Assassination Of Julius Caesar: A People's History Of Ancient Rome...
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