Are you familiar with John Williams
No, not the composer. I'm talking about the author of the same name.
During his lifetime, Williams wrote four novels, three of which are today considered classics of 20th Century American literature. Augustus, which I recently re-read, being one of them.
Originally published in 1972, Augustus was to be Williams' final novel. In it, the author takes us back in time to ancient Rome. The Augustus of the title is, of course, none other than Augustus Caesar, though when the novel begins, he's only a shy and scholarly youth named Octavian. It's not long, however, before the murder of his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, has put Octavian on the path which will make him the first Emperor of Rome.
Augustus is an epistolary novel, meaning (for those of you who don't know) that its plot is told mainly via letters that the characters write to each other. It should be noted that although he's the central character, Octavian's perspective is kept from the reader until the last portion of the novel. For the majority of Augustus, the Emperor is seen through the eyes of those around him, whether family, friends or enemies.
While each of Williams' three major novels are well worth reading, I have to single out Augustus as my personal favorite. It's a masterpiece of historical fiction that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as other novels focusing on Roman Emperors, such as Graves' I, Claudius and Yourcenar's Memories of Hadrian.
Highly recommended.
