In this engaging second volume of Cicero's life, Anthony Trollope brilliantly captures the political intrigue and personal struggles of the famed Roman orator and statesman. Trollope's masterful storytelling brings to life the turbulent times of ancient Rome, painting a vivid portrait of Cicero's rise to power and eventual downfall. The author's meticulous attention to detail and character development make this historical biography a compelling read for anyone interested in Roman history or political drama. Trollope's prose is elegant and accessible, making this book an enjoyable and informative exploration of one of the most fascinating figures in ancient history. Overall, The Life of Cicero, Volume 2 is a must-read for history buffs and fans of classic literature alike.

Book Description:

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43BC) was an orator, statesman, philosopher and prolific correspondent, who rose as a ‘new man’ in Rome in the turbulent last years of its republican government. Anthony Trollope, best known as a novelist, admired Cicero greatly and wrote this biography late in life in order to argue his virtues against authors who had granted him literary greatness but questioned his strength as a politician and as a man. He takes a personal approach, affording us an insight into his own mind and times as well as those of his subject.

This second volume of two covers his last years, BC 57-43 and the personal and political upheavals that surrounded them: the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, the death of his daughter Tullia, Caesar’s dictatorship and assassination, Cicero’s antagonism against Antony in the Philippics and his final struggle for the republic. Having used Cicero’s letters and speeches to guide his biography, Trollope treats his other works (what he terms ‘moral essays’, and works on philosophy and rhetoric), and his religious beliefs, in separate chapters at the end of this volume, to which is also appended his own translation of Cicero’s ‘Dream of Scipio’ from the De re publica.

Volume I can be found here