Engaging and Erudite | Julian: A Novel

A Wonderful Tale of the Roman Decline | Julian: A Novel | Gore Vidal

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	• Julian: A Novel Gore Vidal Vintage, 2003 - 528 pages average customer review:based on 64 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Julian; We hardly Knew Ye

From the earliest pages, Vidal serves up a novel which makes the value and tragedy of history all the more poignant. And it is more history then fiction. Much of Vidal's book is based directly on the philosophical writings of Libanius as well as the extant writings of Julian himself. The social and political life of the Fourth Century Roman Empire comes alive in this wonderful book. Vidal does for this century what Robert Graves did for the First Century in "I Claudius". To say that "Julian" is a Classic is no pun. Julian as an historical figure has stood out far more than many of his contemporaries who ruled much longer. His attempt to alter the course of history he is both remembered and reviled though not often completely understood. Vidal in his inimitable way, has cut through the rememberance and revulsion to paint a wholly human portrait of this continually fascinating figure.

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Engaging and Erudite

A biting polemic against Christianity couched in the form of a biography of the last "Pagan" Emperor of Rome, the short-lived Julian 'the Apostate', this book does not fail to satisfy. It is packed with drama and moving characters, and above all pathos for the doomed but impassioned Julian himself. It is told through his own 'memoirs', as well as commentaries on these by two of Julian's teachers--a Stoic philosopher in Athens and a fellow Mithras-worshipper in Antioch. Must-read for fans of Late Antiquity.

A Wonderful Tale of the Roman Decline

This is the only Gore Vidal novel I've been able to get through but it is itself a fantastic novel of the decline of the Roman empire. Vidal's unusual writing style serves him well as the narrative shifts back and forth from the correspondence of two powerful senators and Julian's own memoirs. The story (how historically accurate I cannot say,) tells the story of the young prince Julian living at the mercy of his dreaded cousin the Emperor. When events come into play he is thrust into the supreme seat of power himself and must combat not only the barabrians to the east, but the empire's own viral infection: Christianity. Julian's attempts to return the empire to the paganism that served it so well in years past is at the very heart of this story. One can certainly feel the court paranoia that prevailed in these troubled times that rivaled the excesses of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. This is a great book and one that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in this era or in the workings of political power in general.

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THIS BOOK SHOULD BE BACK IN PRINT!

I've just finished an old, tattered paperback copy of JULIAN and have to say I was sad to have the story end. I was fascinated by all the characters, the history, the strange triple narration (the book is part memoir, part diary, part epistolary novel), and Vidal's own luminous prose. I would recommend JULIAN to anyone. It is probably the best historical novel I have ever read and it sorely deserves to be back in print.

Vidal shows his teeth!

Vidal is no fan of organized religion of any stripe, but he especially dislikes the authoritarian history of Christianity down through the centuries. The Emperor Julian, called "the Apostate" by the followers of the Gallilean, was the grandson of Constantine and the nephew of Constans. He was a philospher by nature but also a natural military genius who took back Gaul from the Germanic tribes. Most important, Julian was a convinced Hellenist and when he finally came to power, he made a serious effort to enforce religious tolerance in the empire -- something the Christian bishops certainly didn't want, and still don't! Unfortunately, he reigned for only four years and was killed (probably murdered at the instigation of the bishops) on campaign in Persia. And that was the last chance the ancient world had. After Julian's death, the Church was firmly in charge and stayed that way. Vidal's polemical style is always enjoyable, but especially so in this case, with Julian pointing out to his politico-religious enemies the many ways in which they don't practice what they preach. Vidal doesn't invent any history here; in fact, he hews more closely to the provable facts than most "Christian" histories of the classical era. So why is this book out of print?!

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