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Augustus Author: [US] John Williams Publisher: Shanghai People's Publishing House Original title: Augustus
Augustus Author: [US] John Williams Publisher: Shanghai People's Publishing House Original title: Augustus
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Description
Introduction · · · · · ·
◆ The masterpiece by John Williams, author of "Stoner", won the National Book Award of the United States.
Unlike Stoner, which returned to the public eye after being covered in dust for 50 years, Augustus won the National Book Award as soon as it was published, and is still praised more than 40 years later. Due to the best-selling Stoner, it is known and loved by more readers. It is a masterpiece whose charm has only increased with the baptism of time. If Stoner is a mirror of every life, then Augustus is a portrait of every soul.
◆ If there is no way out in life, at least you can choose to go forward without hesitation.
The frail young boy was suddenly drawn into a brutal power struggle - "It was fate that grabbed me, and I chose not to hide from its arms." Fate made Augustus, and Augustus made this name eternal.
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This book is written in the form of letters, interspersed with diaries, memoirs, meeting minutes, military leaflets, etc., depicting the life of the Roman Emperor Augustus through the pens of many Romans.
Augustus, whose real name was Octavian, was Caesar's great-nephew. In 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated and his will designated Octavian as his adopted son and heir. The boy's slender figure walked slowly in the empty playground, uncertain about the direction, as if trying to find a way - he assisted the murderer, turned against his old friends, and allied with his opponents, restoring freedom to Rome, which was full of factional disputes. At the age of 36, Octavian was given the title "Augustus".
Augustus devoted himself to maintaining order and peace in Rome, and even called his only daughter "my little Rome." With his love for both, he moved forward without hesitation in the power-struggling world of Rome...
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Williams recreates the Roman Empire - from the death of Julius Caesar to the end of Augustus' life, from a sickly boy to a sickly man who nearly lost his life on an expedition to a seemingly ruthless ruler, the court, the Senate and the intrigues of the people. He uses epistolary style and multiple perspectives, and in the end all the voices merge around the protagonist like a collage.
--National Book Foundation
To immerse oneself in Butcher's Crossing, Stoner, and Augustus—especially Augustus—is to enter the architecture of a skilled craftsman who fearlessly confronts the crises and redemptions of his life.
——Los Angeles Review of Books
It’s a fascinating world that resembles our own in its complexity, luxury, political cynicism, popular credulity, and violence.
—The New Yorker
This is a preeminent work of historical fiction by an American author.
—The Washington Post
Readers of Stoner and Butcher's Crossing will encounter a new John Williams here that they didn't know: Augustus is an epistolary novel set in ancient Rome. He was able to create something new in his later novels and receive high praise - a rare talent.
——The Millions website
A novel of extraordinary breadth and extraordinary detail, each complementing the other.
——Financial Times
Augustus is addictive and full of life.
——The Paris Review
If anyone is ready to put modern morals aside and learn a little about himself, this novel about an old emperor will leave you inspired... The genius of this astonishing American writer is to show how distant beings can resemble our own.
——New Statesman
About the Author · · · · · ·
John Williams (1922-1994) is an American writer, poet and scholar. He dropped out of school, worked as a radio announcer and served in the military. After retiring, he went to college and received a doctorate. From 1954 to 1985, he taught at his alma mater, the University of Denver, teaching college English and creative writing. He edited "English Poetry of the Renaissance" and also wrote two poetry collections.
He wrote only four novels in his lifetime: Only Night (1948), Butcher's Crossing (1960), Stoner (1965), and Augustus (1973, which won the National Book Award of the United States that year).
Translator: Zheng Yuantao, born in Guangzhou, spent seven years in Beijing and two years in Dali, and now lives in the suburbs of San Francisco, USA, facing the Pacific Ocean. Graduated from the English Department, he has been engaged in translation for more than ten years, and his translated works include Mary Renault (Alexander Trilogy), John Berger, John Williams and Eileen Chang. Winner of the Jury Award of the 30th Liang Shiqiu Literature Award (Translation Category Poetry Translation Group).
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