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A review by alundeberg
Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears
5.0
"Civilization depends on continually making the effort, of never giving in. It needs to be cared for by men of goodwill, protected from the dark" (30).
Civilization, and its fall, is at the center of Iain Pears' novel "The Dream of Scipio". Set in Avignon and crisscrossing three time periods-- the fall of Rome, the Black Death and the Schism in the Catholic Church, and the German occupation of France in WWII with the rise of anti-Semitism throughout-- Pears explores the moral complexities of survival and holding civilization together. As if this is not substantive enough, he also delves into what we know of the past, how that knowledge is flawed because of human error, lack of context, and lack of understanding. Each time period is connected by Manlius Hippomanes' ancient text "The Dream of Scipio" about moral philosophy based on the teachings of Saint Sophia. In a series of historical flukes, it survives to be found by Olivier de Loyen, a poet and lackey of Cardinal Ceccani, and later by the classical historian, Julien Barneuve. All three men are forced to make decisions to act in the best way they know how in order stave off the calamities befalling the world around them. It is, needless to say, intense.
Pears pulls off the neat trick of writing an intellectually demanding book while simultaneously making it an entertaining and fast read. Even though it is about the past, it feels very much of this movement. The effects of global war, the spectre of nuclear war, the devastation wrought by COVID, and the rise of extremism and anti-Semitism all seem to precede our own civilization's fall. Pears does not give us easy answers, or any answers, but instead forces us to reckon with the fact that while we all have ideas of how we would act in such crucial times, crucial times don't often give us many choices: it's up to us to make the most of the choices we have.
Highly recommend.
Civilization, and its fall, is at the center of Iain Pears' novel "The Dream of Scipio". Set in Avignon and crisscrossing three time periods-- the fall of Rome, the Black Death and the Schism in the Catholic Church, and the German occupation of France in WWII with the rise of anti-Semitism throughout-- Pears explores the moral complexities of survival and holding civilization together. As if this is not substantive enough, he also delves into what we know of the past, how that knowledge is flawed because of human error, lack of context, and lack of understanding. Each time period is connected by Manlius Hippomanes' ancient text "The Dream of Scipio" about moral philosophy based on the teachings of Saint Sophia. In a series of historical flukes, it survives to be found by Olivier de Loyen, a poet and lackey of Cardinal Ceccani, and later by the classical historian, Julien Barneuve. All three men are forced to make decisions to act in the best way they know how in order stave off the calamities befalling the world around them. It is, needless to say, intense.
Pears pulls off the neat trick of writing an intellectually demanding book while simultaneously making it an entertaining and fast read. Even though it is about the past, it feels very much of this movement. The effects of global war, the spectre of nuclear war, the devastation wrought by COVID, and the rise of extremism and anti-Semitism all seem to precede our own civilization's fall. Pears does not give us easy answers, or any answers, but instead forces us to reckon with the fact that while we all have ideas of how we would act in such crucial times, crucial times don't often give us many choices: it's up to us to make the most of the choices we have.
Highly recommend.