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A review by rosekk
The Secret History by Procopius
3.0
The savage account of Emperor Justinian and his court is an entertaining read, but a lot if the tales are hard to believe (especially contrasted with more sober accounts of the Emperor).
Procopius (and his translator) have a great capacity for writing insults. The snide tone alone was worth a read. More seriously, it was interesting to see how plausible accounts of poor leadership blended with the most vicious stories of the rumour mill. In a way it's comforting to know that genuine criticism could easily turn into character assassination, even in the 500s, so it's not a phenomenon unique to the internet age.
The book did start to get repetitive (despite the authors assurance that some tales had been left out to avoid creating a long volume), especially at the end when it felt as though spite towards the Emperor and his associates had long outstripped any interest in recording actual events. Similarly, while I didn't mind the way some of the stories strained at credulity to begin with, by the end it was tiring because the ridiculousness of the narrative undermined it.
As an account of Emperor Justinian's reign I'd take everything in the book with a massive pinch of salt. As a study in how personal and political dislike can warp a view point, it's highly informative.
Procopius (and his translator) have a great capacity for writing insults. The snide tone alone was worth a read. More seriously, it was interesting to see how plausible accounts of poor leadership blended with the most vicious stories of the rumour mill. In a way it's comforting to know that genuine criticism could easily turn into character assassination, even in the 500s, so it's not a phenomenon unique to the internet age.
The book did start to get repetitive (despite the authors assurance that some tales had been left out to avoid creating a long volume), especially at the end when it felt as though spite towards the Emperor and his associates had long outstripped any interest in recording actual events. Similarly, while I didn't mind the way some of the stories strained at credulity to begin with, by the end it was tiring because the ridiculousness of the narrative undermined it.
As an account of Emperor Justinian's reign I'd take everything in the book with a massive pinch of salt. As a study in how personal and political dislike can warp a view point, it's highly informative.