num_pages: 288
description: This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780141184968.Framed as a letter from the Roman Emperor Hadrian to his successor, Marcus Aurelius, Marguerite Yourcenar's Memoirs of Hadrian is translated from the French by Grace Frick with an introduction by Paul Bailey in Penguin Modern Classics.In her magnificent novel, Marguerite Yourcenor recreates the life and death of one of the great rulers of the ancient world. The Emperor Hadrian, aware his demise is imminent, writes a long valedictory letter to Marcus Aurelius, his future successor. The Emperor meditates on his past, describing his accession, military triumphs, love of poetry and music, and the philosophy that informed his powerful and far-flung rule. A work of superbly detailed research and sustained empathy, Memoirs of Hadrian captures the living spirit of the Emperor and of Ancient Rome.
language: English
title: Memoirs of Hadrian
titlecomplete: Memoirs of Hadrian (Penguin Modern Classics)
characters: Vibia Sabina, Trajan (emperor), Antinoüs, Hadrian
genres: 20th Century, Historical, Literature, Novels, Philosophy, French Literature, Classics, Historical Fiction, Fiction, France
ratings_count: 27960
places: Athens, Rome, Alexandria
awards: awardedAt: -568051200000
name: Prix Femina Vacaresco
publisher: Penguin classics