Antony

by Allan Massie

Standing on the verge of ruin, Mark Antony dictates his memoirs to his secretary Critias, who contributes an acerbic running commentary as Antony relives his struggle with Octavian for mastery of the Roman Empire in the wake of Caesar's murder, his infatuation with Cleopatra and his obsession with the East. A tragi-comedy of ambition and self-indulgence, passion and valour, ANTONY forms a triumphant conclusion to Allan Massie's acclaimed Roman Quartet.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

213 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Allan Massie is a Scottish journalist, sports writer and novelist. Massie is one of Scotland's most prolific and well-known journalists, writing regular columns for The Scotsman, The Sunday Times (Scotland) and the Scottish Daily Mail. He is also the author of nearly 30 books, including 20 novels. He is notable for writing about the distant past.

Reviews

[Justo Martiañez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biografía de Marco Antonio, narrada a 2 voces, en primera persona y en la de su supuesto secretario Critias. Se dice que conocemos más de los años finales de la República Romana y de los primeros años del Imperio, que de muchos otros periodos de la Historia Europea hasta llegar a la Edad Moderna. No se si será verdad pero el periodo histórico que comprende desde el asesinato de Julio César hasta la muerte de Marco Antonio en el 30 a.c pertenece este periodo y es difícil aportar nada que no sea ya de sobra conocido.
Se aporta el lado personal, los sentimientos de un hombre en la cumbre de su poder, que inexplicablemente va perdiendo influencia y poder hasta la debacle final de Actium, mientras otro, Octavio, que no parecía tener ningún futuro, acaba haciéndose con el poder absoluto contra todo pronóstico, terminando con el sistema de gobierno republicano para siempre e inaugurando lo que conocemos como Imperio Romano. El libro es ciertamente tendencioso, ni creo que Marco Antonio fuera tan noble como lo pinta, ni Octavio tan taimado, traidor y cruel, pero esto es lo que ha elegido el autor para hacer su semblanza. Al final, e irónicamente, la sangre de ambos se iba a mezclar en las siguientes generaciones y dominar el nuevo Imperio en manos de la Dinastía Julio-Claudia: La Hija de Octavia (hermana de Augusto) y Marco Antonio, Antonia la Menor, se casó con Druso, hijo de Livia y adoptivo de Octavio, y uno de sus hijos, el gran Germánico fue el padre de Calígula, y otro hijo, Claudio, fue Emperador a la muerte de este. La madre de Calígula, Agripina la Mayor, fue la hija de Agripa y de Julia, la única hija de Octavio.
El alto grado de conocimiento de la Historia de este periodo, también pone de manifiesto como pequeños detalles han cambiado el rumbo de la Historia: ¿Qué hubiera pasado si en la 1ª batalla de Filipos, Casio no se hubiera suicidado, creyendo que el ejército de Bruto había sido derrotado, cuando de hecho había pasado todo lo contrario? ¿Qué hubiera ocurrido si en Actium, los barcos egipcios no hubieran abandonado la batalla, cuando se supone que esta no estaba todavía decidida y el ejército de tierra de M. Antonio estaba aparentemente intacto?.
La Historia es apasionante.

[Olethros · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Un retrato casi a contracorriente.-

Género. Novela histórica.

Lo que nos cuenta. Marco Antonio dicta sus memorias a Critias, que anota cosas que tal vez no sean relevantes para el protagonista pero que sí son reveladoras sobre él, su historia y su carácter, además de permitirse añadir comentarios de cosecha propia al respecto de los sucesos de forma que nosotros, los lectores, vamos conociendo al personaje y su entorno desde dos perspectivas complementarias comenzando por el asesinato de César y los sucesos que lo rodearon.

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

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

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread of this one - actually I remembered it only vaguely and as most of the story is the standard one though narrated superbly mostly by a trusted servant of the triumvir, with Anthony himself chiming in from time to time - I wasn't sure I read it earlier until I saw it marked here as read

anyway, definitely recommended as part of the roman cycle of the author starting with Caesar - that one I remembered vividly as I was really impressed when i read for the first time many years ago

[Rafael Ferraz · Rating 3 out of 5]

fica atrás das outras histórias da coleção, uma história razoável

[Ruth Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite character of the famous Romans Massie wrote about - dissolute at times, marred, imperfect yet unapologising, this man was just so... human!
Massie portrays him just as is, the man, not some perfect creation who was above the pale, but flaws and all, a man I bet it'd be fun to smoke a spliff with and kick back on the sofa talking philosophy and winding life into the knots it deserves - that's Anthony! Shown here by his slave in such a sympathetic and wonderfully conversational way that we forget he lived over 2000 years ago, he could be any Politician or Royal or Film/TV star you can name, just a human being who was dealt a silver spoon and yet could rough it with the council estate lads so easily he could've been born there...
Well-written, so well-written, and we see the tragedy unfold with certainty, he wasn't born for political intrigue, and here we see why, from the first tragic moments after the death of his boss, Caesar, to his death in Alexandria, this is a sad story, told in a way where you can feel the sadness, and the hope, despair, elation and disappointments of the man who went down in history as Cleopatra's second love, though I think personally, her one and only love, she had more reason in her than love, I fear, but this is a book that, even 20 years later, is worth reading xx

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and reviewed many novels by Allan Massie, all with high praise. I remember liking this novel, no I remember thinking it very fine. It sits on my shelves to this day. But I cannot review it properly without reading it again - which I hope to do - but there are an awful lot of other books I want read so it may be some time!

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

When a novelist wants to turn history into fiction, I think he needs to do more than turn events into conversations and fake journals. It just doesn't work - well not here anyway.

[Alma González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un Marco Antonio distinto al que todos conocemos <3

[Andrew Wardle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It would be higher but it is a poor relation of "Caesar", by the same author. Once again, Allan Massie takes the incomplete and biased information which has come down to us from previous writers, and uses it to construct a fine historical novel.
The novel is a fictional memoir dictated by Antony to his Greek slave/secretary/confidant Critias as he approaches ruin following the Battle of Actium. It is presented as the final volume in an expiatory/explanatory account of the triumvir's life, to balance the lies he knows are being told by others. This volume starts (of course) with the assassination of Julius Caesar and describes Antony's triumph in the Liberators' Civil War, his deteriorating relationship with his fellow-triumvirs Octavian and Lepidus, his disastrous Parthian Campaign, and of course the relationship with Cleopatra which leads to his downfall. We are aware throughout that Antony is an unreliable narrator, and Critias adds sardonic footnotes to some of his dictation to point out inconsistencies and self-delusions and self-justifications. To add to the mix, Critias, sensing his master is soon to be no more, has his own agenda - so how reliable is the unreliable narrator's editor ?
The actual author uses the absence of unbiased information about Antony to paint a different picture from the one we are presented with from Roman sources (all, of course, friends and flatterers of Octavian/Augustus). He is still a drunk and a debauchee of very dubious morals, but otherwise the portrayal is much more sympathetic and rounded: the pre-eminent general of Rome following Caesar's murder, an astute politician, and a civilised, humane administrator of the Eastern Roman Empire - a man true to his friends but, like Julius Caesar, too forgiving of his enemies and far too trusting of his allies. I felt in fact that the novel errs in not using the novelist's privileged position to speculate and invent more widely about the events of the years leading up to Antony's estrangement from Octavian and their descent into a third civil war. He fills in one important gap with ".......certain letters.......did not arrive." Well make them up then. This is fiction after all. Even so, he gives the clearest explanation, in fiction or history, I have read for the gradually-developing feud between the two most powerful men in the Roman world.
As with Allan Massie's other books, it is well-written and well-paced, and the characters are convincing. He makes sharp observations about the nature of power and responsibility and the impossibility of absolute historical truth. He has fun with his reader with some deliberate anachronisms: Kipling's "What do they know of England who only England know ?" is put into the mouth of Mark Antony, whilst Field-Marshal Montgomery's aphorism "The first rule of strategy is don't invade Russia" is given to a sardonic commentator on Antony's Parthian Campaign.
A good read. But it should have been better. And "Caesar" puts it very much in the shade.

[Stanley Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful and moving portrait of a leader who despite his many qualities both military and personal, falls headlong into a spiral of declining fortune and ultimate defeat. Like a Greek tragedy, all brought on by a flaw of character, in a man who had everything going for him and seemed unnaturally gifted, bound for greatness. Despite his flaws and the disastrous downfall he brings upon himself, at his dismal end we are left with the impression of someone who can be called great in a deeper sense than the more conventional greatness he may seem to have at the beginning.

Antony's story, starting from his fruitless effort to warn Caesar of his planned assassination, is narrated by himself as a sort of memoir cum apologia, interspersed with analytical comments from Critias, his Greek scribe and amanuensis. As we proceed, Critias gradually takes over the narration, so that by the end it is largely a 3rd person narrative.

A rich depiction of a great man, well researched, but whether the character depicted is true to the historical Antony is an open question. Highly recommended both as pure fiction and as an interpretation of life at the top of the Roman political system. Although it was written 23 years ago, some passages have an uncanny resonance with what you may find in today's newspapers. E.g., first 7 lines of the final paragraph on p. 184.

Hard to put down.

[despite what Goodbooks states, I did not read this book twice. Don't know where that came from or how to alter it]

[Andy Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy's Review

Downloaded this as I am interested in this period of Roman History and I'm glad I did. Chronicling the 11 years between the battles of Phillippi & Actium, it was interesting to see how a combination of Antony's misjudgements & Octavian's treachery led to the Battle of Actium. Can't wait to read 'Augustus ' & get the other side of the story.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on a fascinating historical character.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by his Greek secretary Critias – effectively Antony’s narration of his autobiography shortly before the end in Egypt, alternating (and interspersed with Critias's comments).

We see an Antony genuinely anti civil war especially if fought in Italy and genuinely wanting Octavian's friendship, while at the same time bewitched by Cleopatra and increasingly losing his edge in drink.

One of the more straightforward books in the series.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mark Antony is an iconic, arguably tragic, figure from ancient Roman history. It is fair to say that his historical persona is larger than life, dramatic, filled with a swaggering grandeur and errant folly that has coloured every depiction. From Cicero and Plutarch to Shakespeare, and more recently via Burton's portrayal in the epic 'Cleopatra', or James Purefroy's performance in HBO's 'Rome', Antony has become a constant cultural symbol for great bravery, great love and great failure.

Sadly, in Massie's novel, that tradition has been debased and ignored, so that this vision of Mark Antony becomes dull, disengaging, uninteresting. Aside from a few brief passages after the death of Caesar and during the Parthian campaign this Antony is almost utterly flaccid. He is drab; a cypher who seems unable to direct or escape his circumstances.

The novelist has hardly helped his cause by using a second narrator, the Greek Critias, as a divergent voice in the novel. Sometimes Critias acts as the recorder of Antony's fictional autobiography, sometimes a commentator, sometimes his own life takes centre stage. It is a bland and redundant device which weakens Antony's own voice, or distracts the reader from the central role of Antony in the book.

A further failing of the book is that the two other key characters that have been key to any representation of or cultural interpretation of Antony, his lover Cleopatra and his rival Octavian, are also colourless, uninteresting. One could get into all kinds of academic disputation over the actual historical truth of these characters, however from a fictional point of view there are alternative visions of Cleopatra and of Octavian that compel one's attention, stir great emotions. Massie has achieved a singular result by making the Egyptian queen almost tedious as a character, whilst Octavian/Augustus is (for all the focus on him in the novel) one dimensional. Spoken of time and time again as being cunning and deceitful, there is zero psychological background that gives the reader a perspective as to the hows and the whys of such a depiction.

Massie has set himself the unenviable task of writing a compelling story about one of the most 'larger than life' ancient Romans that has come down to us through history and through literature. Sadly he has failed.

[Vicki Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marc Antony is dictating his memoir to his secretary Critias, starting with Caesar's assassination. Most of the book is in Antony's voice, but Critias inserts comments of his own throughout. He's fond of his master and doesn't much care for Cleopatra or Octavian. This is an interesting way of viewing these important events, through Antony's death, in which Antony comes off almost blameless.