Hortensius, Friend of Nero

Hortensius, Friend of Nero
1937 US edition
AuthorEdith Pargeter
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical fiction
Published1936
PublisherLovat Dickson (UK) 1936
Greystone Press (US) 1937
Publication placeUK
Pages232

Hortensius, Friend of Nero is a 1936 novel by Edith Pargeter. In it, Hortensius attempts to save the Christian wife of a friend in the arena, an act for which he is forced to flee by Nero, along with a Persian slave whom he falls for.[1][2] It was Pargeter's first historical novel.[3]

Peter Christensen noted that “In the 1930s, other political novels about Rome had a special appeal if they dealt with the end of the Republic or with Nero, since they could be fitted into the framework of the failure of democracy in Europe after World War I or the rule of a mad dictator.”[4] He classed Hortensius, Friend of Nero as one of these political novels.

References

  1. ^ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/edith-pargeter-2/hortensius-friend-of-nero/ Kirkus
  2. ^ https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/17527510?q&versionId=231340329 NLA
  3. ^ Adrian, Jack (16 October 1995). "Obituary: Ellis Peters". The Independent. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  4. ^ Christensen, Peter G. "The Claudius Novels and Imperial Family Melodrama." Gravesiana 3, no. 2 (2010): 235-250.


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