Caesar

by Gisbert Haefs

It is winter in BC 53/52 and the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. The aristocracy in the senate are becoming increasingly far removed from the common people, while gang fighting and political murders are daily reality in Rome. In Gaul, Gaius Julius Caesar becomes wealthier with every raid - and hence more in the eyes of the senate, too powerful. Cicero and other Roman politicians force the one-time warrior Quintus Aurelius to work in Caesar's field kitchen and spy on him for the senate. In Rome, Gaul and Egypt he keeps meeting the charming Calypso, a hetaera who is as erudite as she is shrewd and with whom he is bound by a bitter-sweet love. As the Roman struggles for power near their climax, Calypso and Aurelius increasingly wonder what Caesar's real objectives are; but no matter what they may be - surely anything would be better than a continuation of the bloody death throes of the rotten republic? With his successful novels, Gisbert Haefs skilfully and fascinatingly makes the ancient world come alive. Press "Haefs uses captivating dialogues and his wide knowledge to tell us of past times." Facts "Excellent literature." Berliner Zeitung "As is typical of him, he tells history as an exciting story - at times coarse, at times comically ironic, and with a continual erotic twist." Welt am Sonntag "The antique period appears here as if it has just recently happened." Woman "Gisbert Haefs expertly understands how to allow the antique to come to life in a way that is fascinating." LiesMalWieder.de Author Gisbert Haefs, born in 1950 in Wachtendonk on the Lower Rhine, lives and writes in Bonn. As translator and editor, he is responsible for such publications as new editions of works by Ambrose Bierce, Rudyard Kipling and Jorge Luis Borges. He made his name as a writer with his crime novels and his graphic historical works Hannibal, Alexander and Troja.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction

516 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2007

About the author

Gisbert Haefs is a German writer in several genres and translator. He has written historical novels such as Alexander won both the Deutscher Science Fiction Preis and Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis in science fiction and placed at the Deutscher Krimi Preis for crime fiction. As a translator he worked on a much criticized effort at translating works of Jorge Luis Borges into German.

Reviews

[Humberto Pineda Acevedo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Desafortunadamente, Haefs me decepcionó en esta novela. Monótona, sencilla, plana, lineal, lenta…

La mitad del libro y el lector continúa en la Galia…

La historia de una pareja - paralela a César y a Cleopatra - resulta lo más inverosímil posible. Además de que el desenlace es terriblemente esperado.

No la recomiendo. Recrear una novela histórica en la antigüedad es dificilísimo y Haefs nos demuestra esta complejidad al formar un escenario que nadie podría creer o imaginar.

[Patrick Baldauf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haefs is an incredible author, great book.

[Doros Lesesofa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessante Geschichte, toll aufgebaut.
Der Schreibstil ist jedoch antiquiert, trocken und recht zäh zu lesen.

[Jonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julius Caesar is always an amazing topic. However the book‘s a tough read because of the authors writing style. I would recommend Santiago Posteguillo‘s Caesar series instead.