Julian
a novel
by Gore Vidal · first published 1964
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Julian the Apostate, nephew of Constantine the Great, was one of the brightest yet briefest lights in the history of the Roman Empire. A military genius on the level of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great, a graceful and persuasive essayist, and a philosopher devoted to worshiping the gods of Hellenism, he became embroiled in a fierce intellectual war with Christianity that provoked his murder at the age of thirty-two, only four years into his brilliantly humane and compassionate reign. A marvelously imaginative and insightful novel of classical antiquity, Julian captures the religious and p
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The best book I read this year was "Julian" by Gore Vidal. This is a thoroughly-researched historical fiction book about the Roman emperor Julian, the last pagan emperor of Rome. Thirty years before Julian rose to the throne, his grandfather Constantine…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗Is there an authority on mattress size naming standards to whom I may offer a suggestion? Having just read Julian by Gore Vidal, I learned that a few centuries after Caesar and Augustus, the title of Caesar ranked below that of Augustus (well played, Gaius Octavius). I suggest King->Caesar->Augustus. However if…
on “3½ years on my custom emperor mattress – a retrospective” ↗…film Agora, starring Rachel Weisz, has a portrayal of the period. Of course it's not a historical document and subject to interpretation, but it is one perspective at least. Also there's a novel about Julian by Gore Vidal — I haven't read it but Julian was the last pagan emperor who unsuccessfully tried to receive Hellenic religion and stem the tide of Christianity.
on “The Last Vestal Virgin and the Fall of Rome” ↗…these different philosophical viewpoints may aid an individual with a "mission statement" for a serene life? [1] Francis Harry Compton Crick (I read the quote in an interview) [2] Gore Vidal: Novel: 'Julian' Quote: http://www.gorevidalpages.com/1964/10/julian-by-gore-vidal.h...
on “Western philosophers in ten minutes [Videos]” ↗