Caesar · A Biography

As politician and diplomat, writer and lover, but above all as a military genius, Julius Caesar is one of the perennially fascinating figures in history. Boswell called him ”the greatest man of any age.” Christian Meier’s authoritative and accessible biography is the definitive modern account of Caesar’s life and career, setting Caesar’s life story against the rich political and social background of the Late Roman Republic.

James Boswell called him ‘the greatest man of any age’. As politician

and diplomat, writer and lover, but above all as a military genius,

Julius Caesar is one of the most perennially fascinating figures in

history. Christian Meier’s biography is the definitive, modern account

of Caesar’s life and career, and places him within the wider context of

the crisis of the Roman republic. Written specifically for a general

readership, this authoritative, stimulating book serves, amongst other

things, as a reminder to those who believe that men are mere servants of

historical forces that the great individual still has an unarguably

significant part to play.

“Meier’s is a compulsively readable, scholarly, imaginative, and almost poetic account.” --Peter Jones, Sunday Telegraph

“A

subtle and complex inquiry into the nature of politics and power in the

late Republic … Meier builds up a convincing portrait of a man with a

restless need for achievement but no master plan … His Caesar goes

well beyond the confines of biography to present a radical analysis of a

political system in decline, and the opportunities it afforded one of

the most brilliant and unscrupulous individuals of all time.” --Joan Smith, Independent on Sunday

“This

book of Meier’s … has become a book of great historical importance and

literary glory, portraying the most fascinating ruler of the ancient

world in his historical context, and in all his humanity, against the

background of a Rome shattered by civil war.”Inge Frese, Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung

Christian Meier is Professor of Ancient History at the University

of Munich. He is one of Europe’s leading authorities on the Late Roman

Republic and is the author of The Greek Discovery of Politics and The Political Art of Greek Tragedy.