The life of the most brilliant Roman orator and Roman Republic defender. In addition, he was arguably one of the greatest philosophers in ancient Rome. His stance against the empire cost him his life. ( )

Lots of details. Good inside of ancient Rom’s and today’s politics.
Sometimes too detailed inf u r not roman scholar. ( )

It's not a bad biography, but at least a quarter of the content is just rehashing the Caesar situation. Perhaps unavoidable given the popsci format - not being able to assume the reader knows anything at all about history, but at the same time for someone to pick up a biography on Cicero as their first read on this era seems ridiculous. Having the subject of your biography become a background character during large parts of the book didn't work for me. ( )

Unfortunately, it is much easier to admire the man before we examine his life and actions in detail. ( )

Disgraceful hagiography of a monster.

Good read. A not quite monumental book about a not quite monumental man. ( )

A well-written, often amusing, biography of Cicero and his world. ( )

A different approach to a classical figure. Reads like a conventional biography, which is really impressive for a classical figure.

Early in the book, I wasn't too much of a fan since it focused less on Cicero than his time, which tends to get really repetitive if you read other popular books about the late republican era. I understood later though that Cicero's youth is somewhat poorly documented and not everyone comes to the book with the background knowledge I happened to have. Cicero's such an interesting character, powerful and flawed and probably personally the most sympathetic character of this age.

I learned from Everitt the high personal nature of politics at the time (most leading men were related by either marriage or distant relatives), and Everitt's attention to detail really enlivens Cicero. Everitt depicts well the ever shifting nature of politics, instead of assigning individuals into permanent factions, individuals are unsure, convinced into factions, and sometimes abandon their faction for another one. It's a huge testament to Everitt, that he can document this without becoming too rote or vague. A good pleasure read, if hard to keep track of all the details, recommended for anyone with a slight interest in the classics. ( )

This is an excellent biography of the great Roman orator and lawyer Cicero. Everitt truly brings to life the man and his thought process as he made his way through crumbling Republican Roman politics. The work is sourced through original documents, many of them correspondence between Cicero and his friend Atticus where he revealed his most personal thoughts. Because of this work it just dawned on me how Atticus Finch received his name. To my mind's eye Cicero will always look like the actor who portrayed him on HBO's series Rome. This work brings to life the surprisingly modern world of Rome. Highly recommended. ( )

A very detailed accout of the Politician, Philosopher, Orator and Lawyer. The first half of the book is rather insipid, but it does really pick up during the latter half. Recommended. ( )

This is a very well written biography of the great Roman orator, lawyer and statesman. I read this straight after finishing the final volume of Robert Harris's excellent trilogy of novels about his life. Cicero was at the centre of the great events of the middle part of the 1st century BC, the critical two decades which saw the demise of the Roman Republic whose values of (by the standards of the time, and sometimes more theoretical than practical) democracy, checks and balances and the rule of law he held so dear. As a principled pragmatist, he stood in mostly consistent opposition to the growing tendency towards one man rule in the times of Caesar, Pompey, Mark Antony and finally Octavian. His writings betray a humanism which is rare by the standards of his contemporaries. Many of his speeches, hundreds of his letters and a number of philosophical and political works survive and provide a rich trove of classical thought to which we should be indebted two millennia after their author lived and died. His final demise, hunted down and killed on the run by soldiers hired by Octavian, is ignominious, but his name rightly lived on and still does as one of the greatest and best figures of his time. ( )

Biography that places Cicero well in context - but a little tedious.
Read Nov 2006 ( )

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. ( )

this reads like a really even-handed rendition of history. it seems unbiased and honest. it mostly reads easily. i should probably rate it higher but i was just not in the mood for this right now, and i found it hard to get through in large parts. i do think this is due more to my frame of mind than the book itself, though, so my rating is likely unfair. and i did learn some things that felt like more accurate history than what i'd read in some historical fiction in the past from this time period. ( )

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 – [a:Robert Harris|575|Robert Harris|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1242903284p2/575.jpg]). 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”


( )

A biography of 'Rome's Greatest Politician'. Human nature is the same as always, and the political animals are as beastly as ever.

Cicero was described as a defender of the republic, and a brilliant orator, but most of all, a politician. He waffled, he did character assassinations. But compared to the relative chaos that was Ancient Rome, he stands almost as a beacon. One wonders, once Republic became Empire, how the state managed to survive for so long.

A very interesting book, and recommended for those with any interest in Roman history. ( )

Everitt’s command of Roman history is unparalleled. His rich prose gives ancient Rome a pulse that can sometimes be missing from history books. I got a whole lot more out of this book than I was expecting. Everitt has two other books out—one on Augustus, and another on Hadrian—but unfortunately, they fall into the same section, so it will be a while before I get to them. Any other time, I would happily add them to my collection.

http://lifelongdewey.wordpress.com/2012/04/29/937-cicero-by-anthony-everitt/ ( )

Very informative. It changed my views on Julius Caesar, Cato and Cicero. I just wish that the author put devoted more pages on Cicero's writings and philosophy. ( )

The three volumes examining Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian are first-rate basic biographical works on these three major Roman figures.

The Verrrine Orations (http://www.librarything.com/work/718086/72388831) is his two volume diatribe against Verrus. Cicero (http://www.librarything.com/work/63773/28544057, pp. 75-80) has a sound account of the entire affair. Cicero proved to be clever, relentless, and willing to take on highly placed and potentially dangerous opponents. This speaks well of his character as an ethical and responsible servant of Rome.

Excellent, vivid engaging book. Cicero seems so alive and so human. ( )

Rome from the times of Cicero would most probably epitomize the modern Libertarian dream. It was a country of law but no means of prosecution as there was no permanent government apparatus -- no police force, no judicial system, no civil service, no prisons. Justice was dispensed in court by jurors, there were laws but the oratoric capabilties and shomanship of the lawyer were decisive. There was no standing army, citizens were recruited when needs arise. People who were sent as governors to the provinces had to finance their office out of pocket.

The political system of the republic was completely dysfunctional. It was not suitable to solve the pressing needs of the day. Senators could propose laws but the citizens had to vote for them in person. There were no political parties, senators represented the narrow interests of their supporters. Favors were traded and in the absence of machinery of state the personal connections were the fabric that sustained the Roman society.

Cicero was born outside Rome in the dying days of the Republic. His aspirations would naturally lead him to the capital. The popularity and prestige that the profession of a lawyer carried could have been attained only with assiduous study of philosophy and training of the voice. Lungs and physical strengths were needed to become a good orator. Cases were won or lost not only on the validity of arguments but depended seriously on the strength of the voice of the presenter.

The political smörgåsbord which the political life of Rome presented was shaken by the coming of Caesar. Republic's inability to govern the sprawling empire, the semi-permanent armies, and the entrenchment of the members of the Senate was met by the decisiveness and unwavering vision of Caesar to bring about change by centralizing the governing powers of the Empire.

To properly understand the driving forces and motivation of the political actors of that time the book is not limited to the life of Cicero but it tells about the life of Cesar and of many other contemporaries in all the detail that is needed.

History of Rome is an intersection of campaigns of conquest and fascinating political culture.

Review in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/25/books/review/25BRENNAN.html?ex=1230440400&...

First chapter published in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/25/books/chapters/0825-1st-everi.html?ex=12304404... ( )

http://thebookwormslibrary.com/?p=347 ( )

Subtitled "The life and times of Rome's greatest politician". Cicero was a great orator and an expert in trial law in the complex Roman court system. His career overlapped those of Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus during the first triumvirate, and ended on the accession of Octavian to consul. According to Everitt, Cicero never deviated from a principled dedication to upholding the Roman constitution, although he was egotistical, sometimes vacillating, and overly fond of sharp witticisms that were often politically illjudged. Cicero was also reputed to be a great populizer of philosophy as well, with some of his works the source for much of what is known about the philosophy of the time. The book was very well written, moved along well, and described a fascinating time in Roman history that I have never before studied well ( )

Everitt did an excellent job of making Cicero seem human, instead of an unreachable hero we could never understand. All of his best and worst qualities are displayed, along with in-depth coverage of the political climate and wars Cicero lived in. ( )

Well-crafted, highly readable biography of Marcus Tullius Cicereo (106-43 B.C.): lawyer, orator, prolific and popular writer, and statesman of Ancient Rome. Everitt takes his information from some 900 letters Cicero wrote (most of which were to his friend Atticus); many of his speeches (revised and edited by Cicero himself); and Cicero's books on philosophy and oratory. He wrote about the political events of his day: the rise of Julius Caesar, his assassination, and subsequent maneuvering to power of Mark Anthony and Octavian (later known as Augustus). He also set out to cover "the whole field in detail" of every philosophical system. Cicero had a son, Marcus, and a much-beloved daughter Tullia (who died while giving birth). He divorced his wife Terentia after some 30 years, although it is not clear why to historians. His second marriage lasted only a few months.

Cicero was a life-long devotee to Republican government (and thus an opponent of Caesar, who nevertheless lived to tell his tale for several reasons: Caesar was renown for his leniency, Caesar enjoyed Cicero's wit, and Cicero himself was a successful manipulator of people in general and alliances in particular). Cicero longed for power, but always played a secondary role in Roman politics. As Everitt observed, "Julius Caesar, with the pitiless insight of genius, understood that the constitution with its endless checks and balanaces prevented effective government... [but] for Cicero [the solution to Rome's crisis of inaction and inefficacy] lay in finding better men to run the government and better laws to keep them in order." How well Eliot's Prufrock unintentionally captures Cicero!

"No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool."

Cicero never understood that he was wrong, nor passed by an opportunity to tout his own insight, influence, and value. Eventually Cicero was put to death after Octavian put Cicero's name on a proscription (a posting of people wanted dead by the leadership. All property was then confiscated and turned over to the state after the killer was rewarded.) Everitt brings Ancient Rome to life as if we were contemporaries of the protagonists. Excellent book that only makes the reader want to know more.

(JAF) ( )