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.