The Secret History

by Procopius

Overview

Having dutifully written the official war history of Justinian's reign, Procopius turned round and revealed in The Secret History the other faces of the leading men and women of Byzantium in the sixth century. Justinian, the great law-giver, appears as a hateful tyrant, wedded to an ex-prostitute, Theodora; and Belisarius, the brilliant general whose secretary Procopius had been, is seen as the pliable dupe of his wife Antonina, a woman as corrupt and scheming as Theodora herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781731707543
Publisher:	Simon & Brown
Publication date:	11/20/2018
Pages:	140
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Henry Bronson Dewing (1882–1956) was Professor of Greek at Bowdoin College and President of Athens College.

Editorial Reviews

". . . a first-rate job. . . the translation is not only lucid, but wholly engaging and compelling." 
—Dudley Fitts


". . . ranks as one of the supreme hatchet jobs of all time. . ." 
—Newsweek


"The outstanding example of vituperative literature that has come to us from all antiquity." 
—Arthur E. R. Boak

From the Publisher

David Timson brings his rich talents and skills--a sonorous voice, rolling delivery, precise pronunciation, and clear understanding--to Procopius's scandalous insider look at the reign of Justinian and Theodora of Byzantium (527 to 565 CE). Procopius cannot say enough bad about the royal couple, along with their warlord, Belisarius, and his wife, accusing the emperor of remorseless greed, incompetence, and betrayal, and the women of witchcraft and nymphomania. Timson takes on the persona of Procopius--cynical but affronted, censorious and mocking--and delivers the text as HE might, sneering with disapproval and relishing payback but without overdoing the portrayal. His astute take on the author and his ability to embody him add a significant extra dimension to his fine rendering of this ancient tirade. W.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

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