Memoirs of Hadrian by Margarita Yourcenar


finished 5/12 ......... 20th century classic ........ rating 8.5

Every once in awhile I'll come across a book which is just not at all what I want to read so I put it down. A few months later I pick the book up again and ... omg, wow! This is one of those books (there has been only one other).

This is a fictionalization of the life of Hadrian, Emperor of Rome 117 – 138 A.D. The book is in the form of a letter to Marcus Aurelius, his successor which Hadrian writes as an old man. The last 40 pages or so are bibliographical sources and Yourcenar's thoughts while writing. This is one of the very best historical fictions I've ever read.

Posted: Sat - May 12, 2007 at 08:56 PM        

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