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A review by mallory_minerva
The Jugurthine War and the Conspiracy of Catiline by S.A. Handford, Sallust
4.0
Sallust was a Roman historian after the death of Caesar and before the creation of the Principate. He wrote a history of the Jugurthine War and a shorter history of the Catiline Conspiracy. He also wrote a long history which is fragmentary and not included in this edition.
Firstly, Handford's translation is absolutely superb. The feeling of Sallust's prose is maintained while also being highly enjoyable to read for casuals. His notes are fantastic, and his introductions are just as good as the main courses. As for Sallust himself, he was a great writer, with jagged, angular and concise prose, similar to Tacitus. His writing isn't very smooth but is direct and to the point with lots of syncopation. Although less elegant than Livy, Sallust is far better at holding the reader's attention and being entertaining, and also is far less dry, so he is clearly a great writer. Sallust's overall approach to history is not just to relay the events, but also to moralize, and to tell a great story. The wars of Jugurtha and Cataline were his topics because they are simply fun and interesting episodes to learn, with deep themes that can be (and are) explored. For example, how corrupt, and corruptible, is the Roman Senate? Why do people already in positions of power start civil wars to get more power? Is ambition good? Is Rome's political class morally bankrupt and selfish, and if so, do they even realize it? Why are conservatives? "What went on in these people's heads?" is the main idea that should be explored when reading Sallust.
In addition to being a damn good writer and moralizer, he also knew how to do storytelling well. Both parts of this book have all the makings of good stories: excellent pacing and structuring, deep, memorable characters (which of course are real people), twists, tension and release, intriguing introductions and satisfying and sobering endings. The back of this book pitches it as "a masterpiece of dramatic narrative" and I couldn't agree more. Also, Sallust does have refreshing self awareness, occasionally having brief and helpful digressions which he humorously wraps up before getting too sidetracked. The downsides are that Sallust occasionally fumbles the timeline of events (which footnotes clarify), that there are a few moments where the writing gets dry, mainly in The Conspiracy of Cataline, and the oratory sections (where Sallust inserts entire speeches that characters give) are often boring. Those are occasional, so the vast majority of this book is thoroughly enjoyable. Overall, this is a highly enjoyable, thought-provoking and fascinating book that charts the Roman republic as it's cracks are beginning to appear, and the people who made it happen. 9/10.
Firstly, Handford's translation is absolutely superb. The feeling of Sallust's prose is maintained while also being highly enjoyable to read for casuals. His notes are fantastic, and his introductions are just as good as the main courses. As for Sallust himself, he was a great writer, with jagged, angular and concise prose, similar to Tacitus. His writing isn't very smooth but is direct and to the point with lots of syncopation. Although less elegant than Livy, Sallust is far better at holding the reader's attention and being entertaining, and also is far less dry, so he is clearly a great writer. Sallust's overall approach to history is not just to relay the events, but also to moralize, and to tell a great story. The wars of Jugurtha and Cataline were his topics because they are simply fun and interesting episodes to learn, with deep themes that can be (and are) explored. For example, how corrupt, and corruptible, is the Roman Senate? Why do people already in positions of power start civil wars to get more power? Is ambition good? Is Rome's political class morally bankrupt and selfish, and if so, do they even realize it? Why are conservatives? "What went on in these people's heads?" is the main idea that should be explored when reading Sallust.
In addition to being a damn good writer and moralizer, he also knew how to do storytelling well. Both parts of this book have all the makings of good stories: excellent pacing and structuring, deep, memorable characters (which of course are real people), twists, tension and release, intriguing introductions and satisfying and sobering endings. The back of this book pitches it as "a masterpiece of dramatic narrative" and I couldn't agree more. Also, Sallust does have refreshing self awareness, occasionally having brief and helpful digressions which he humorously wraps up before getting too sidetracked. The downsides are that Sallust occasionally fumbles the timeline of events (which footnotes clarify), that there are a few moments where the writing gets dry, mainly in The Conspiracy of Cataline, and the oratory sections (where Sallust inserts entire speeches that characters give) are often boring. Those are occasional, so the vast majority of this book is thoroughly enjoyable. Overall, this is a highly enjoyable, thought-provoking and fascinating book that charts the Roman republic as it's cracks are beginning to appear, and the people who made it happen. 9/10.