Rome: Eternal City

by Ferdinand Addis

A thrilling portrait of the city at the heart of Western civilization, brought to life in twenty-two scenes from its 2,500-year history.

Why does Rome continue to exert a hold on the world's imagination? Ferdinand Addis brings the myth of Rome alive by concentrating on vivid episodes from its long and unimaginably rich history. Each of his beautifully composed chapters is an evocative, self-contained narrative, whether it is the murder of Caesar; the near-destruction of the city by the Gauls in 387 BC; the construction of the Colosseum and the fate of the gladiators; Bernini's creation of the Baroque masterpiece that is St Peter's Basilica; the brutal crushing of republican dreams in 1849; the sinister degeneration of Mussolini's first state, or the magical, corrupt Rome of Fellini's La Dolce Vita.

This is an epic, kaleidoscopic history of a city indelibly associated with republicanism and dictatorship, Christian orthodoxy and its rivals, high art and low life in all its forms.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Italy, Ancient History, Cities, Audiobook, Roman History

848 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2018

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eternal City recounts the history of Rome through the lens of various individuals.  For each era, Addis selects a person and then describes the Rome that individual would have known.  This format gives Eternal City the feel of a collection of short histories rather than a unified narrative and, as in most collections, some entries are far more interesting than others.  However, on balance, this is a worthwhile and rather unique perspective on Roman history.  

[Antonio Nunez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the third in my “cities” series that already includes New York (Gotham by Edwin Burrows and Mike Wallace and Greater Gotham by Mike Wallace) and Paris (the Seven Ages of Paris by Alistair Horne). It is a very enjoyable romp through nearly three thousand years of Roman history, covering all the main episodes: the foundation of the city, the Carthaginian wars, the civil wars, Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Commodus, the barbarian invasions, the reconquest by Belisarius on behalf of Justinian, the crowning of Pepin and Charlemagne, the pornocracy of Theodora and the Theophilact women, the assault of Boniface VIII by Sciarra Colonna (in this book the Colonna are the premier Roman noble family, quite ahead of the Orsini, Savelli, Conti, Caetani and others), the crowning of Petrarch as poet laureate, Cola di Rienzo’s reestablishment of the Roman republic, the return of the popes to Rome after the Babylonian exile in Avignon by Martin V, the Colonna Pope, the high renaissance under popes Alexander VI, Julius the II and Leo X where the main character is Michelangelo, the terrible sack of Rome of 1527, that apparently was worse than the barbarian invasions; it killed over two thirds of an already minuscule Rome, the baroque age of Bernini, the age of the Romantic exiles of the early nineteenth century, particularly the great Byron, Keats and Shelley (the latter two are buried in Rome, with Shelley also having buried a young son there), the end of papal rule with Mazzini (as a precursor), Garibaldi and Cavour, the age of Mussolini and German occupation during WWII and the postwar era epitomized by neorealist movies and Federico Fellini, who was not a neorealist himself.

With such a huge canvas to paint, Addis does a fine job of rendering scale, perspective and detail, with enough color to give a feeling for life at the respective time. The city, its features and buildings, is always present, never overwhelmed by character or narrative. One does get a feeling of the permanence of places and moods that makes Rome the Eternal City. How throughout its history the protagonists consciously relive older history and episodes, in a game of mirrors in which often action is acting and reacting. Everything in Rome is symbolic, in a heroic, wistful or ironic key. The Popes are in many ways just an aspect of the Roman emperors, who themselves were just hyperbolic consuls. Buildings are either built on top of other structures, or using the materials of other structures. The present cannibalizes the past, so that neither present nor past are totally real.

This very enjoyable book is marred by some simple mistakes. Addis does not really know his popes. The two Medici popes of the Renaissance, Leo X and Clement VII, were not brothers but cousins. Clement IX did not dissolve the Jesuit order, Clement XIV did. Also, there never was an Italian king named Victor Emanuel III (there were only two of them). I particularly enjoyed more unfamiliar episodes, such as the Cola di Rienzo regime, the lives in Rome of the English romantics, the wars of Mazzini and Garibaldi against the popes and the postwar film industry. I don’t exclude the existence of mistakes there as well, but I didn’t find them, not being too familiar with the periods.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid. Just solid. Starting from Kingdom years and ending in the 20th Century, this history of Rome spans enough time to make you dizzy... yet never manages to make you dizzy anyway. Flowing writing, uses archival and historical material in a way that really connects to the reader. I would recommend this to any Roman history buff.

[Fred Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is among the few books that attempt to cover the history of Rome from its legendary founding until the present. Addis starts with the lupa, the she-wolf, always a good place to start with Rome. The wolf and I go way back; I have a small bronze of it on my desk. When I was growing up in Cincinnati, I was fond of the full-sized replica of the Capitoline Wolf in Eden Park (at the time, I did not know it was a gift from Mussolini to Cincinnati). Then I studied classics at UC and read the story in Livy. In grad school I read various versions in the late Latin potted histories of Rome (Roman history for dumb emperors). Addis is not as good as Livy, although he covers much more ground, but far better than the epitomators.

Addis proceeds episodically, hitting many of the high points while often skipping over fifty or a hundred years, sometimes more. In the ancient period, he covers the Gallic Sack, the Punic Wars, The Gracchi, Caesar and the Ides of March, The Art of Love (Ovid and Augustus, mostly Ovid), Nero and the great fire of Rome, the Flavians and the Colosseum, Elagabulus, Constantine and the rise of Christianity, and the barbarian sacks of the fifth century. A good deal of Roman history and quite a few emperors get left out. Addis does a good job with what he treats. As an Oxford graduate in literae humaniores (he doesn't tell us which college), he gets his details mostly right. There are few clunkers, like the very dubious folk etymology for the place-name Lateran,which actually seems to come from a prominent early Rome family, the Sextii Lateranii (not mentioned). Also, he states the "Nero was overthrown by Titus and Vespasian," although Nero was long dead by the time they go to Italy. Hard cheese on Galba! But I didn't find too many of these faux pas.

Many of the chapters include much on Roman writers of the relevant era. The chapter on the Punic Wars has much on Plautus, especially his play Poenulus (The Little Carthaginian). The chapter on gladiators and the Colosseum much on Martial and Juvenal.

The chapters on medieval Rome cover a handful of popes, some the artistocratic clans (cue in the Colonnas), Petrarch and the infamous Cola di Rienzo (whom I know mostly from Wagner), and others. The Renaissance chapters are much given over to art and papal misdoings (the Borgias, Michelangelo, Bernini). The Borgias have their moments. And then the Sack of Rome, 1527. Skip a couple of centuries to the eighteenth century and the grand tour, Goethe, and Gibbon. Followed by the English romantics in Rome: Byron, Shelley, Keats (remember the author is an Englishman). The unification of Italy, Mussolini, and, last of all, Fellini and Italian cinema.

Addis is a good writer and offers a lively narrative. He clearly focuses on what he finds most interesting, to the exclusion of much else. The list of references for quotations is far from complete: many quotations are without citation, others with very Spartan ones. The bibliographies include a highly selective conspectus of solid popular and academic works on Rome; you can't go wrong following up with most of them.

Obviously this is a far from complete account. If you really want it, read Gibbon, Niebuhr, Mommsen, and Gregorovius, along with selections from Addis' bibliographies. You are on your own for the modern period; I rarely do current events! But if you are looking for a lively overview, Addis is a good choice.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book this year for me. Just about perfect. And, I think, a new classic book on Rome.

I read this slowly throughout the year, starting in Rome itself. Every chapter is a delight.

[Larry (LPosse1) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Superb Chronicle of the Eternal City

This is an excellent history of Rome—concise, engaging, and richly detailed. From the legendary suckling twins to the glamorous days of la dolce vita, Ferdinand Addis guides readers through the ages with grace and clarity. He writes with a natural flow and striking balance, bringing to life the colorful characters who shaped the city’s story. Far more insightful and enjoyable than most Roman history books I’ve read, this one taught me so much—and made the process of learning an absolute pleasure.

As a side note- I found this book at 2nd and Charles for $6! New!! Great deal for a great read!! Some nice pictures to help readers visualize the wonders you are reading about. It’s a monster- 800+pages

[Jared Langford]

Sprawling, but easy to read from start to finish. One of those books that puts the timeline of history in perspective, this time using one of the great cities of the world.

I loved the beginnings of chapters that put you in the shoes of some person (grand or humble) in the period he was discussing next. The history came alive in those imaginative passages.

As with all long-term, century spanning non-fiction books, the cycles of human history are depressingly, alarmingly clear. As Addis writes, this knowledge can be taken like Lord Byron (with melancholy and hopelessness) or like Percy Shelley (with a stubborn hopefulness - at least for a while). I'm not sure where I stand. History can be a dispiriting place.

A final thought. How strange to read of 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th century people gazing on the ruins of Ancient Rome with the same abstract awe we do now. When they wondered about the lives of those people in the far-flung past, they were looking from their immediate and all-encompassing present.
And yet those Medieval/Renaissance people have now joined the company of history. They all reside in my blanket label of "past". I look over them to admire the Ancients.

I can't help but feel small thinking of those that come next, looking past me at the same ruins of Rome's glory.

[Philip Koslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This book is, in a sense, a history of an imagined city, from the myth of Romulus to the fantastical world of Fellini's cinema......(page 589)." A direct quote from this remarkable book. Beautifully crafted by an expert wordsmith with the bona fides to speak as an imminent historian, this book reads equally as a novel, magazine subscription series or a general survey of the "Eternal" city. Familiar names abound throughout 600 pages that beckon the reader to return to savor prose unlike most academic tomes. Romulus, Caesar, Pompey, the Popes, Garibaldi, Michelangelo, Bernini, Byron, Shelley, Keats, Mussolini and Fellini are all there and more. And each chapter can be read independently or in chronological order without loss of integrity or context. Why Rome fell and many of the details of events and people in its history can be found elsewhere in academia, but this book deserves to be on every shelf for those who remain fascinated with Rome and its "eternal" story of human flaws and glories. Highly recommended.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was taught once to read the book the author has written and not look for the book you expect. I caught myself not following this advice a few times as I read Ferdinand Addis' The Eternal City: A History of Rome. I picked this book up looking for a history of the city, the walls, the buildings, the visceral sensations of the streets of Rome and the shadows of the ancient alleyways. What Addis provides here is a history "in" Rome, and towards that goal, he has accomplished much. This is a thoughtful skip through the most historic city in Europe and each chapter illuminates events, historical actors, and moments that are critical to understanding Rome and Western Europe. I felt rewarded for my efforts with a brilliant Epilogue that did provide that glimpse of Rome as a historic space I had picked this book up looking for. It is a passage that I have saved should I ever find myself in the eternal city.

[Mrs. Moira McGeough · Rating 3 out of 5]

Addis writes in an easy to read, engaging style so you are carried along through vast swathes of history. Having said that there was something unsatisfying about the book. It covered everything from the myths and legends about Rome's early foundations to the cinema constructs of the modern era yet told you little about any of them.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Addis writes history for a general audience in just the way it should be done. His narrative is highly engaging. His writing is accessible without being over-simplified, and, like Gibbon in the eighteenth century, a true literary pleasure to read.

This is a history of the city of Rome, and, in some sense (as the author writes near the end of the book), a history of a city that never existed. It is a history of what Rome has meant to various people throughout the ages, as much as a history of the city itself. In some ways, it is also a history of Western civilization, as many of the key figures and events in this broader narrative find their nodal point in the city by the Tiber.

[Sean Patrick Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
really well written and enjoyable. Addis takes a particular time in Rome's history and pairs it with the story of someone: a ruler, a pope, a pope's mistress, Federico Fellini (these are... not one person to be clear). By looking through the experiences of the example, you can learn more about the greater world of Rome in that time.

I can't quite give it 5 because sometimes you may really not care for those examples. But still a really good history book.

[Tristan Saucedo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t mind the writing but it felt like since it was “one city” instead of “one man” history, the author just jumped from man to man? There was a good amount of exposition on the overall context, a lot of which had me looking at other books to read more of, but overall it felt like we just jumped from big name to big name, with tiny names and less context in between.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 5 out of 5]

É um sentimento inescapável ao viajante ou turista mais sensível ao peso da história, da primeira vez que pisa a cidade de Roma. Percebe-se o porquê de ser chamada a cidade eterna, não pelas conotações religiosas de ser a sede do catolicismo, ou o seu passado imperial romano, mas por ser um daqueles locais onde se sente que os séculos se acumulam, atropelam e coexistem. É o sentimento que me passou pelo espírito quando a visitei, duas vezes mais ainda não as suficientes. Mesmo que estejamos a ser acotovelados pelos turistas à caça de selfies na fonte de Trevi, a temer o trânsito no lungotevere, ou à procura de uma refeição em Trastevere que não seja armadilha para turista (tive sorte, diga-se). Há qualquer coisa no ar romano, que emociona, que nos faz sentir o peso do tempo humano, das milhentas vidas que calcorrearam as ruas de uma cidade de múltiplas encarnações. E nunca hei de esquecer o meu primeiro contacto com o Coliseu e o Fórum, numa madrugada em que arrisquei as trevas das ruas (de acordo com o mapa, o hotel onde estava era relativamente próximo da zona, mas depressa percebi que em Roma, as distâncias são para levar a sério) e me vi totalmente perdido, até que, com o sol quase a despontar e o negro da noite a desvancer-se num profundo azul, me deparei com o Coliseu ao amanhecer (o porquê desta estranha hora para visitar o monumento prendeu-se com o ter de estar na Fiera di Roma pela manhã, estava na cidade não a passeio, mas em trabalho).

Esse espírito de uma cidade-palimpsesto, cuja paisagem nos transporta entre a antiguidade clássica, as eras medieval e moderna, os séculos XIX e XX, é captado na perfeição por este livro. É uma obra sobre a história de Roma, mas Addis tem claramente uma veia de romancista. Não é um livro árido, a história da cidade conta-se através do entretecer de episódios que nos levam às vidas dos seus habitantes, dos mais famosos imperadores aos humildes judeus do ghetto.

É uma fórmula que funciona. Talvez escreva isto porque estou à partida predisposto para que um livro sobre uma cidade que admiro me agrade, mas ao personalizar, ao entretecer histórias da história, momentos biográficos registados, com os fluxos factuais, Addis consegue criar uma grande empatia para com o passado. Não o passado dos factos e feitos, mas sim o passado humano, porque a história de uma cidade é, no fundo, uma história das pessoas que a habitaram.

Addis leva-nos aos primórdios, quando Roma era um conjunto de aldeias à beira de um pântano que contra toda a lógica, se uniu para crescer num império que dominou grande parte do mundo conhecido. A evolução da Roma, enfim, romana, recebe um enorme naco de atenção, entre os seus primeiros passos, o surgir da república, a época imperial, e a progressiva ruína, nas convulsões da decadência do império. Somos levados à cidade medieval, sede de um papado que se compraz nas intrigas e poder temporal, no luxo eclesiástico. A cidade renascentista é a epítome desse luxo, legando-nos a arte e arquitetura que hoje tanto nos deslumbra. Da época romântica, Addis faz a crónica dos poetas e artistas ingleses que, por entre o seu grand tour e as suas rebeliões contra o modus vivendi em terras de sua majestade, se apaixonaram pelas ruínas da cidade. O livro termina com três Romas: a das guerras que levaram à unificação da Itália, o peso do fascismo, e, terminando o livro com chave de ouro, a Roma da segunda metade do século XX, entre a pobreza da cidade aberta e a dolce vita de Fellini.

Este livro é de uma tremenda erudição, recheado de factos e análise. Mas consegue ler-se quase como um romance. Pessoalmente, os parágrafos que mais me impressionaram prenderam-se com o gosto romano pelo entretenimento nos coliseus. Por um lado, desmistifica o mito dos gladiadores como condenados a combater até à morte (até porque o investimento para treinar um gladiador era tão elevado que não fazia qualquer sentido matar um vencido na arena). Por outro, o tratamento dado a criminosos, a tortura de humanos e animais como espetáculo que divertia as populações, é daquelas leituras que provoca volteios no estômago.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een dikke pil van 623 bladzijden over de geschiedenis van Rome. Toen ik dit boek kocht, ging ik ervan uit dat het zou starten bij Romulus en Remus en eindigen aan de val van het Romeinse rijk, maar de auteur gaat door tot de tegenwoordige tijd.

Nu begrijp ik wel veel beter hoe het was om vroeger te leven in Rome, waarom men precies Julius Caesar uit de weg wou ruimen, hoe Rome uiteindelijk ten val kwam, hoe dat zat met al die pausen, Michelangelo en de Sixtijnse kapel, Goethe die op bezoek kwam, en tot slot nog dictator Mussolini.

Soms vond ik het wat saaier, zoals toen het over Vergilius en Ovidius ging, maar ik heb dan ook niets met poëzie. Interessant, maar ook absoluut verwerpelijk, is om te zien hoe al die pausen aan de macht kwamen, en wat ze met die macht deden.

Zeer interessant boek en interessante invalshoek: bijna 3000 jaar geschiedenis van één stad! Voor al wie geïnteresseerd is in de Romeinen en hun nalatenschap.

[John Isles · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many histories of Rome, and for me there is no end to reading them, because generally they have much that is new to me. This one spans the millennia from the city's legendary foundation by Romulus to the era of Fellini's "La Dolce Vita," but not continuously; it selects 22 episodes to highlight, and the intervening years are lightly sketched in. When I was well into the book, I found that my printed copy was defective, missing pages 531-570, but I was able to read that part in the Kindle version. I resent having to pay for the book twice, and shame on the bookseller K - SHIP DEALS, an Amazon.com associate, who had not even the courtesy to respond to my request for a replacement copy of the hardcover version. No stars for them, but five for the book.

[Chris Majoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mooi boek waarin de geschiedenis van de stad Rome beschreven wordt aan de hand van 23 karakteristieke momenten zoals bv. de moord op Caesar, de opening van het Colosseum, de verkiezing van Alexander VI (Borgia paus), de strijd van Garibaldi, de opkomst van Mussolini. Elk sleutelmoment wordt gebruikt om de geschiedenis rond dat ogenblik te beschrijven in een op zich staand essay. Het mooie is dat het geen opsomming is van feiten, maar dat vooral mensen de hoofdrol spelen. Ideaal als voorbereiding op een bezoek aan de eeuwige stad of om na te genieten. Het bracht een extra dimensie in mijn bezoek aan Rome.

[Adrienne Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful telling of Roman history.

[Grace Brunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

New personality unlocked

[Silke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rome is een fascinerende stad, met een lange geschiedenis. Maar waar is het allemaal begonnen? Er zijn zoveel verhalen over deze intrigerende stad dat we ons soms wel afvragen wat ervan waar is en wat niet. Vanaf de stichting door Romulus en Remus tot de Jodenvervolging in 1943 neemt Ferdinand Addis ons mee in 22 hoofdstukken door de geschiedenis van Rome heen. Tijdens deze ontdekkingstocht neemt hij ons mee naar de familie Borgias, de Sixtijnse kapel, het Colosseum, Mussolini en zelfs de films van Fellini. Het is een boek waar geschiedenis liefhebbers van zullen smullen.

Ferdinand Addis is een Britse auteur en journalist die klassieke talen studeerde aan de Universiteit. Rome: eeuwig stad is zijn eerste gepubliceerd boek en ondertussen in verschillende talen uitgegeven. Een boek over de rijke geschiedenis van Rome kan duizendenpagina’s bevatten, Ferdinand hield het op 704. Hij heeft er de meest interessante en gekende verhalen uitgepikt. Iedereen weet nog wie Hannibal is, de Borgias kennen we van de tv serie, Mussolini leren we kennen tijdens onze geschiedenislessen op school en iedereen kent wel een film van de beroemde Fellini. Een echte geschiedenis liefhebber zal denken dat het boek dan ook niets nieuws bevat, maar Ferdinand gaat verder dan de geschiedenisboeken hij zal de verhalen ontleden en zoeken waar ze vandaan komen. Door zijn frisse kijk en analytisch vermogen geeft hij een nieuwe kijk in de geschiedenis van Rome weer.

Het boek had me in de ban vanaf de eerste pagina, ik was gretig om te weten hoe het verhaal van Romulus en Remus tot stond was gekomen en hoe Hannibal erin was geslaagd om met zijn olifanten over de Alpen te trekken. Het geheel is veelzijdig, want zowel geschiedenis als kunst komen aan bod. Maar de auteur was mij ook af en toe kwijt. De hoofdstukken werden weliswaar chronologisch gepubliceerd, maar in de hoofdstukken zelf springt hij soms van het één naar het ander, wat nogal verwarrend kan zijn. Het leek alsof de auteur teveel in één keer wou vertellen. De zinnen waren bovendien soms ook wat te lang, wat voor extra verwarring zorgde. Maar hier had de vertaler wat meer indachtig kunnen zijn tijdens het vertalen.

Het boek stopt bij Fellini’s film ‘Dolce vita’ in 1960, alsof het allemaal daar ophoudt. Maar de geschiedenis van Rome loopt verder en van 1960 tot heden zijn er zeker nog gebeurtenissen die het vermelden waard zijn, zo miste ik de jaren ’70 de en ’80 met de Anni di Piombo en Berlusconi in de ‘90. Ik snap niet goed waarom het boek eindigt bij Felinni’s ‘Dolce vita’, het geheel lijkt mij zo onvolledig en ik bleef toch wat op mijn honger zitten.

De publicatie van deze Rome: eeuwige stad is prachtig, niet alleen is het een hardcover maar er zijn ook enkele kleurfoto’s aanwezig die het allemaal wat meer charme geeft. Ook de binnenkant van de kaft is verzorgt met een afdruk van Michelangelo’s beroemdste fresco ‘De schepping van Adam’ op het gewelf van de Sixtijnse kapel.

Ferdinand Addis heeft een zeer krachtige, enthousiaste schrijfstijl, waar niet alleen geschiedenisliefhebbers hun gading in zullen vinden, maar ook menig literatuur liefhebber. Inhoudelijk is er wel nog ruimte voor verbetering. Doordat in de hoofdstukken zelf niet altijd rekening gehouden werd met de chronologie kwam het bij tijden soms wat slordig over. Als lezer moest je de aandacht vasthouden en soms zelfs even terug bladeren, wat ik wat vervelend vond. Bovendien leek het geheel niet compleet. Ik had hier iets meer van verwacht. Ik scoor deze dikke jongen dan ook een 3 sterren.

[Angus Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author tackles the complex task of delivering thousands of years of history (and boy does this city have some history!) by breaking it up into accessible vignettes stretching from Rome's foundation up to the 20th century. I found this approach to work extremely well, as I never felt bogged down by the sheer weight of the city's history. This was also partly due to the author's vivacious and quirky writing style, which captured perfectly the enthusiasm he clearly has for his subject.

All in all, I found it an engaging, exciting, eloquent, and above all entertaining romp through Rome's fascinating past. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with a passing interest in the subject and even to those who don't . . . yet. I look forward to see what Ferdinand Addis has up his sleeve next!

[Paul Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Disappointing

I had hoped for an interesting and informative book about the history of Rome, this is neither. I found it to be a mishmash of fables, myths and uncertain claims and far too long. It meanders through the centuries spending far too long on certain individuals who have little or nothing to do with Rome's history, Byron and Shelly for example.
This book will, I believe, also upset Christians as the author portrays the Christian faith as the root of all the world's failings, and its leaders and saints as sexual fantasists or predators. There were many evil pope's and the author describes most of them very explicity, without ever mentioning the great and the good.
In summary, it is my opinion that this book was poorly researched, is inaccurate and poorly presented.

[Dustin Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. Spans the history of Rome from the mythical foundation by Romulus up until the 1950’s. Manages to do this without getting bogged down in dates and minute details like I’ve encountered with many historical books, and it’s able to do that largely by keeping the human aspect in the stories by using writers from that time. Very, very good.

[Stephen Brannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it is possible to make 2,500 years of Rome’s history feel like a fireside chat, Addis accomplished just that. I enjoyed every page. This will be a gem among jewels on my bookshelf.

[Jarosław · Rating 5 out of 5]

📕 Rzym to miasto, które od stuleci fascynuje, przyciąga i intryguje, a czasem odpycha. Jego historia, pełna wzlotów i upadków, konfliktów i triumfów, jest tak bogata i złożona, że mogłaby stanowić temat na niejedną książkę. I niejedna książka o historii Rzymu powstała. Czym wyróżnia się zatem książka Ferdinanda Addisa, którą właśnie skończyłem czytać?

#WydawnictwoZnak #Rzym #HistoriaWiecznegoMiasta #FerdinandAddis #książka #recenzja

📕"Rzym. Historia wiecznego miasta" Ferdinanda Addisa, wydana przez Wydawnictwo Znak Horyzont, to pozycja wyjątkowa, która w mistrzowski sposób łączy historię, kulturę i mitologię tego niezwykłego miejsca.

To z pewnością nie jest lektura na jeden lub dwa wieczory, bo Addis zabiera nas w podróż przez niemal trzy tysiąclecia historii Rzymu, zaczynając od jego legendarnego założenia przez Romulusa i Remusa, poprzez Idy marcowe, czas gladiatorów, początki chrześcijaństwa, rozkwit Wiecznego Miasta, aż po współczesność.

Każdy rozdział tej książki to osobny esej, jakby osobny obrazek, w którym autor kreśli żywe, pełne detali opisy zarówno wielkich wydarzeń historycznych, jak i codziennego życia mieszkańców miasta na przestrzeni wieków.

Co znacznie ułatwia i uprzyjemnia czytanie, Addis nie skupia się jedynie na suchych faktach – jego narracja tętni życiem, a sposób, w jaki oddaje ducha poszczególnych epok, sprawia, że Rzym jawi się czytelnikowi jako miasto wciąż żywe, pełne sprzeczności, ale i nieskończonych możliwości oraz sił witalnych.

To, co wyróżnia książkę Addisa, to umiejętność łączenia różnych perspektyw. Autor z równą pasją opisuje cesarzy, papieży, wielkich artystów, wojowników, jak i zwykłych obywateli, którzy tworzyli i tworzą duszę tego miasta.

Dla miłośników historii jest to prawdziwa uczta – Addis nie tylko odświeża i porządkuje dobrze znane fakty, ale też wprowadza wiele nowych wątków, mniej znanych epizodów, które dodają całości jeszcze większej głębi. Szczególnie interesujące są rozdziały poświęcone mniej znanym postaciom i wydarzeniom, które jednak miały istotny wpływ na kształtowanie się Rzymu, jaki znamy dziś.

Styl Ferdinanda Addisa jest przystępny i angażujący, bez akademickiego zadęcia i naukowego żargonu, co czyni tę książkę smakowitym kąskiem zarówno dla doświadczonych miłośników historii, jak i dla tych, którzy dopiero zaczynają swoją przygodę z dziejami Rzymu. Jego opisy są barwne, ale bez zbędnych ozdobników i fajerwerków, co sprawia, że lektura „Rzymu” jest nie tylko pouczająca, ale i niezwykle przyjemna.

Wydanie książki przez Wydawnictwo Znak Horyzont również zasługuje na wysoką ocenę – estetyczna twarda oprawa i staranne opracowanie graficzne sprawiają, że książka jest elegancka i będzie długo służyć.

Czy książka ma jakieś wady? Dla niektórych czytelników tempo narracji może momentami wydawać się zbyt szybkie, szczególnie gdy Addis przeskakuje przez stulecia w kilku zdaniach. Jednak dla innych to dynamiczne podejście będzie atutem, pozwalającym na szybkie przyswajanie dużych porcji wiedzy. Obraz Rzymu jest nieco skażony angielską szkołą historii, ale w jakiej szkole mógł uczyć się Anglik.

Podsumowując, „Rzym. Historia wiecznego miasta” to pozycja obowiązkowa dla każdego, kto chce lepiej zrozumieć historię i kulturę Rzymu oraz bez trudu kojarzyć wydarzenia i osoby, które pojawiają się na tabliczkach z nazwami ulic oraz budowlach.

Ferdinand Addis stworzył dzieło, które nie tylko edukuje, ale i inspiruje, ukazując Rzym jako miejsce pełne życia, tajemnic i nieprzemijającego piękna. To książka, która na długo zapada w pamięć i z pewnością znajdzie swoje miejsce na półce każdego miłośnika historii i literatury faktu. Jako miłośnik Włoch i podróży po Italii, szczerze ją polecam.

[mariuszowelektury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jak opowiedzieć trzy tysiące lat istnienia jednego z najważniejszych miast w historii politycznej, gospodarczej, kulturowej, religijnej Europy? Może właśnie w ten sposób - poprzez wybrane motywy, wydarzenia, które były kluczowe dla jego funkcjonowania, rozwoju i odcisnęły piętno na europejskiej czy światowej historii.

Mamy więc założenie miasta, wojny kartagińskie, Nerona, najazdy barbarzyńców, papieży, Petrarkę, renesans, Bayrona, drugą wojnę, Felliniego. Kalejdoskop postaci, wydarzeń przyprawiający o zawrót głowy. Jednak autor świetnie sobie z tym radzi. Każdy z rozdziałów, poświęcony postaci, wydarzeniu, dobrze zachowuje równowagę między szczegółami a uogólnieniem. Unika akademickiego zasypywania datami, nazwiskami, szczegółami. Bliższe to raczej opowieści przewodnika podczas oprowadzania po miaście. Tyle i tylko tyle, by zrozumieć kontekst, motywy, warunki, skutki.

Trzy tysiące lat historii Wiecznego MIasta rozpoczyna się mitem o Romulusie i Remusie, kończy się 600 stron później fantastycznym światem Felliniego. Wszystko na siebie się nakłada, kanibalizuje, przenika, zaciera, redefiniuje; kakofonia dźwięków, obrazów, ale przede wszystkim opowieść o ludziach, którzy chcą zostawić ślad, zbudować to miasto na nowo, jednak mimo ich wysiłków przeszłość jest wciąż widoczna. A my, jak turyści w czasie i przestrzeni możemy podróżować chronologicznie lub wybierając sobie trasy - kulturową, polityczną lub otwierając książkę w dowolnym miejscu po prostu zanurzamy się w mieście cezarów, papieży, artystów, grzechu lub czegokolwiek innego.

[David Szatkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How then is anyone to read the Eternal City? [...] Is it a city of human pleasures, of love and good pizza? A city of silver-screen romance? A city of god? A city of sin? A city of power? A city of decay? It has all these aspects and a thousand more". This quote is taken from the epilogue of the book yet serves as a good starting point, because the author tries to answer some of those questions.

This book is history, non-fiction. Yet it is also a biography of the City of Rome itself. I particularly enjoyed this book because I was fortunate enough to live in the Eternal City for five years. Anyone who has lived in Urbe will have a rich appreciation for the historical sights and modern contradictions that is Rome.

The book is also a worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys history, particularly European history. The sights and sounds of Rome come alive and its history, both glorious and sad, are considered. What makes this 'biography' particularly interesting is the ability to make the City the star, and the many famous people in and around her merely players on her stage.

As to the real Rome - and seeing the sites - I would agree with the Romans themselves. Una vita non che suffciente (a lifetime is not enough). But this book will give you a good start in deciding what you want to see first.

[Karl Verdickt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een veelzijdig historisch werk dat de geschiedenis van de stad Rome weergeeft en daardoor zowel historici als niet-historici zeker zal interesseren. De vlotte schrijfstijl (auteur is filoloog en journalist) maakt het boek zeer toegankelijk.

De auteur Addis pretendeert helemaal niet de hele geschiedenis van Rome geschreven te hebben. Wel tracht hij aan de hand van een 20 tal belangrijke historische feiten de geschiedenis van Rome te schetsen zodat je een beeld krijgt van 3000 jaar geschiedenis. Hij heeft hiermee veelzijdig en magistraal werk afgeleverd waarbij hij niet alleen zijn kennis van de geschiedenis van Rome etaleert, maar ook de literatuur, de kunst, het dagelijks leven, de zeden etc.

Hij schrijft een meeslepend barok epos, prachtig proza met veel literaire omwegen zoals de verhalen over Hannibal en de subversieve liefdesgedichten van Ovidius om Augustus te beschrijven. Soms durft hij de chronologie eens te doorbreken door terug in de tijd te springen maar dat doorkruist de historische kennis niet.

Voor al diegenen die meer willen weten over de geschiedenis van Rome, geschreven door een niet-historicus raad ik deze klepper van meer dan 600 pagina's zeker aan. Her en der staat wel een tikfout maar de Angelsaskische wijze waarop het werk geschreven werd, dekt dit zeker met de mantel der liefde toe.

—

[Marin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting easy reading concept – history told as a fiction novel.
I actually read most of it in a holiday – in Rome of all places, and I accepted the format – nobody can cover the history of Rome in detail, so why not reading several vignettes about some of the personalities who marked the history of the great city.
Some chapters retell stories told innumerable times by others, but it was nice to remember the great historical actors (mostly men 😉), their stories, and find details I never knew about.
Others were about events I knew almost nothing about such as – Formosus’s trial, Cola di Rienzo short leadership, or the gory details of the sack of Rome.
Some chapters, like the one about Byron and Shelley, did feel as inserted just to show off the author’s knowledge of literature, romantic in this case. Perhaps, this is the main fault of the concept – it tried too much, in too many directions.
Overall, a light volume, mostly enjoyable, that imbued me to continue to learn about the history of this magnificent city.

[Desmond Hegarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferdinand Addis' book is a fascinating dive into the history of Rome. Such a feat seems on the surface futile, given that it would be impossible for anyone to attempt writing a history of Rome in 580 pages.

Nonetheless, Addis manages to weave in a delightful combination of history, human stories, commentary on art and architecture, and most importantly the role of religion and theology in the Italian capital.

The book is strongest in the first three-quarters, where the emphasis on history is far greater. The book falls off towards the latter quarter, where the chapters on Mussolini and postwar Italian cinema feature very little of the city and seem irrelevant in this book, but that is perhaps more indicative of the uninteresting nature of modern history than a fault of Addis' own.

Overall, worth reading.