The Swerve, How the World Became ModernStephen Greenblatt

The Swerve, How the World Became Modern

by Stephen Greenblatt · first published 2011

8mentions

5recommended by

7HN commenters

2011–2026first – last mentioned

71% recommend29% neutral

Why HN recommends it

Narrative history of how a lost Lucretius poem, De rerum natura, was rediscovered and helped shape modern thought. It is engaging non-fiction about books and Epicurean ideas.

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Philosophy

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What Hacker News says

danschuller · Jul 30, 2014 · Recommends

…sounded a bit self help-like so I avoided it. Eventually I did ready and it's pretty great. It covers how people manage to get work done, which is pretty important for everyone. Last year I read The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. It's non-fiction, though I believe the central premise is a little tongue in cheek. An ancient Roman manuscript that's rediscovered and helps set off the enlightenment and our modern…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored” ↗
xtiansimon · Aug 23, 2020 · Recommends

I suppose you’ve read that delightful summer read, Stephen Greenblatt, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, (W.W. Norton, 2011).
on “The Latest Project to Preserve Pompeii Reveals New Treasures” ↗
gom_jabbar · Mar 7, 2026 · Recommends

Absolutely. One of my favorite books about the power of books is The Swerve: How the World Became Modern (2011) by Stephen Greenblatt. It tells the story of the rediscovery of Lucretius's poem De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things), which was assumed lost.
on “70k Books Found in Hidden Library in This Germany Home” ↗
deStab · Dec 28, 2011 · Recommends

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗
charlysl · Feb 11, 2018 · Recommends

…mindedness is one of their great contributions. Of all these, Epicureism is possibly the one that has ultimately triumphed, via Lucrecius' De Rerum Natura. This point of view is wonderfully explained in The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. Absolutely fascinating how by starting by speculating that everyting that exists has an exclusively material substance and is made of atoms (he wasn't the first to speculate this though), Epicureus,…
on ““Study Death Always”: Seneca’s advice for living centered on dying” ↗
charlysl · Oct 15, 2018 · Recommends

…ethic that is essentially modern. If you haven't read it yet, I think you would appreciate an account of the whole story, of how it was supressed by the church for centuries and eventually triumphed: "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern" https://www.amazon.com/Swerve-How-World-Became-Modern/dp/039....
on “A True Story” ↗
krishna2 · Dec 24, 2015 · Mentions

…into a Visionary Leader 36. Shurnyu Suzuki: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind 37. William Shirer: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich 38. Jhumpa Lahiri: Interpreter of Maladies 39. Stephen Greenblatt: The Swerve: How the world became modern 40. Professor Andrew R. Wilson: The Art of War [great courses] 41. Prof. Jennifer Paxton: 1066: The Year That Changed Everything [great courses] 42. Prof. Sherwin B. Nuland: Doctors: The History of…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗
rramadass · Mar 8, 2026 · Mentions

…translations that i looked at were in verse form and hence i did not followup on it. I am less interested in his poetry/form and more in his ideas. Maybe i should start with the book that you mention. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swerve De rerum natura - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_rerum_natura PS: I just submitted this which you might also find interesting - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47295304
on “70k Books Found in Hidden Library in This Germany Home” ↗