Monday, April 09, 2012

Ten of the best emperors in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best emperors in literature.

One entry on the list:
Marguerite Yourcenar's Hadrian

Memoirs of Hadrian is written in the form of a letter from the ageing Hadrian to his designated successor, the teenage Marcus Aurelius. Looking back over his life he lets us into his sensual secrets – his love for the Bithynian youth Antinous – and the price an intelligent man has to pay for wielding power.
Read about another emperor on the list.

Memoirs of Hadrian is one of Teju Cole's top 10 novels of solitude.

--Marshal Zeringue