The Secret History

Oct 19, 2024 7:46 PM

Author:Procopius,Peter Sarris,G. Williamson

The Secret History

A trusted member of the Byzantine establishment, Procopius was the Empire's official chronicler, and his History of the Wars of Justinian proclaimed the strength and wisdom of the Emperor's reign. Yet all the while the dutiful scribe was working on a very different - and dangerous - history to be published only once its author was safely in his grave. The Secret History portrays the 'great lawgiver' Justinian as a rampant king of corruption and tyranny, the Empress Theodora as a sorceress and whore, and the brilliant general Belisarius as the pliable dupe of his scheming wife Antonina. Magnificently hyperbolic and highly opinionated, The Secret History is a work of explosive energy, depicting holy Byzantium as a hell of murder and misrule.

Reviews

Paul Strathern's enthralling description of this bizarre imperial adventure reads like Conrad's Heart of Darkness...as a piece of storytelling, it is a masterpiece

—— Daily Telegraph

To begin with, the book leaps off the shelf-display into the hands: the dustjacket is a remarkably fine reproduction of a painting of Napoleon...This is an illuminating and most engaging book

—— Spectator

Superb... Strathern tells the appalling tale of the forced marches across endless deserts...with commendable gusto

—— Andrew Roberts , Sunday Telegraph

An ambitious and wonderfully detailed saga

—— Financial Times

This is popular narrative history at its best

—— Independent on Sunday

A comprehensive and gripping read, as great an overview of war and hubris as can be managed in 400 pages

—— Scotland on Sunday

A well-written, fast-paced narrative... This book is a welcome and readable addition to the ever-growing library of books about this French colossus

—— BBC History Magazine

As a stirring narrative of doomed military endeavour, his book could hardly be bettered

—— Sunday Times

His account of the 6 week odyssey to Alexandria provides an intimate portrait of the squalid, fetid life on board eighteenth century ships, and his description of the successive stages of the expedition are well-judged. He also captures the tensions of the occupation with skill

—— Herald

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