“Dictator” by Robert Harris – The Great Orator

The job of public speaker, or orator as some would prefer to call it, is one of those things that looks much easier than it is. At the surface, it's just about reciting a speech to a bunch of people in front of you.

However, digging deeper it becomes apparent that there are countless factors to take into account when speaking in front of the masses, from treading carefully on taboo subjects to using the right words to elicit the desired emotions from the audience.

With so many throughout history having tried their luck at this job, it should say a lot that Marcus Tullius Cicero is considered the greatest orator of his time, if not of human history.

In Dictator by Robert Harris, we are introduced to Cicero when he is already forty-eight years of age and living in exile because he stood firmly by his principles rather than peddle other people's ideas. Perhaps fortunately, it is still possible for Cicero to return to Rome, but on one condition: he must pledge his support to a certain someone named Julius Caesar.

Not being one to back down from such a challenge, Cicero plans his grand return and fights his way back to the top, with only the power of his intellect and the impact of his words. But of course, anyone on the rise will end up crossing paths with the ambitions of powerful people, and for Cicero that means living on the razor's edge, one that gets ever-so thinner as his influence grows.

The third book in the series on Cicero by Robert Harris is dedicated to the last fifteen years of his life, and while it does read like a novel, the author places historical accuracy above all else; it has the same drive to bring you the truth as a history book does.

 However, it ought to be said that despite being the third book, it can be easily read on its own with no knowledge of the previous ones; it focuses on a specific section of Cicero's life that stands on its own, apart from the rest.

Told through the perspective of Cicero's secretary Tiro (a real character), the story is narrated in a very entertaining way, with Harris finding the perfect ways to build suspense and keep the reader hooked and wondering how it will all end (unless you're familiar with that period in history, in which case you probably won't wonder all that much).

The development and characterization of the main actors is truly excellent as we get to see them from up close, with all their qualities, shortcomings, and idiosyncrasies that make them into the unique people remembered in history books today.

He even devotes quite a bit of text to the smaller characters, trying to do their talents justice, as he does with Mark Anthony for example, demonstrating his orating skills and his capability to hit Cicero back during their public debates. Ultimately, Harris manages to break down the image we hold of these titans from days of yore, demonstrating just how human they all were.

Another aspect of great note are all the big political and historical events that we get to witness and hear the characters' thoughts on. For instance, Caesar's thoughts on the Gallic Wars and how he used the atrocious events for self-promotion is quite revealing, as is his attitude towards the defeated sons of Pompey after the victory at Munda in Spain.

The rise and fall of Caesar is a real pleasure to watch unfold with all the ambitions and intricacies involved in Roman politics. Speaking of those, we also get a pretty detailed glimpse at what life was like for a Roman senator and the barbed web of politics they had to navigate with ever-increasing care. All in all, we get a complete historical depiction of life during those years, on a big and small scale.

As you might expect, a book of this calibre brings a whole lot to the table in terms of philosophy and intellectual nourishment. Because of the nature of the events covered by the book, most such meditations from the author revolve around politics, the role they played then and how they've evolved, our ultimate failure to separate them from our personal gains, and what it means to be a good politician... or just a successful one.

In other words, the author's reflections stand out just as much as those of the characters.

In conclusion, Robert Harris dishes out yet another historical tour-de-force, staying always extremely close to the known facts while at the same time managing to weave an enthralling narrative that covers the very interesting years during the lives of some of the most important people from humanity's past.

It educates, it makes you think, and it entertains, all in spades; this is definitely a novel you ought to read if you're interested in Cicero, Caesar, or even more generally the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

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Robert Dennis Harris Personal site Robert Harris is an English novelist who used to work as a journalist as well as a television reporter for the BBC. Though Harris began with works of non-fiction, he has branched off into historical fiction as well as contemporary history, with Fatherland being one of his most recognized novels.