The Ides of March by Thornton Wilder

The Ides of March

A Novel

Thornton Wilder

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · August 11, 2020

The classic Thornton Wilder novel that recreates the dazzling ancient Roman empire of Julius Caesar—now with a new introduction by Jeremy McCarter, author of Young Radicals and co-author (with Lin-Manuel Miranda) of the #1 New York Times bestseller Hamilton: The Revolution.

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Who it’s for
Wilder makes ancient Rome feel close through an inventive exchange of letters and documents.
Themes
Julius Caesar and ancient Rome, Roman society, Spies and assassination
Genres
Ancient Historical Fiction, Epistolary Fiction, The Classics

About this book

The classic Thornton Wilder novel that recreates the dazzling ancient Roman empire of Julius Caesar—now with a new introduction by Jeremy McCarter, author of Young Radicals and co-author (with Lin-Manuel Miranda) of the #1 New York Times bestseller Hamilton: The Revolution. First published in 1948, The Ides of March is a brilliant epistolary novel of the Rome of Julius Caesar.

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Through imaginary letters and documents, Wilder brings to life a dramatic period of world history and one of its magnetic personalities. In this novel, the Caesar of history becomes Caesar the human being as he appeared to his family, his legions, his Rome, and his empire in the months just before his death. In Wilder’s inventive narrative, all Rome comes crowding through his pages: Romans of the slums, of the villas, of the palaces, brawling youths and noble ladies and prostitutes, and the spies and assassins stalking Caesar in his Rome. Vivid, compelling, and engaging, The Ides of March showcases Thornton Wilder’s unique storytelling genius. This special edition also includes an afterword by Wilder's nephew, Tappan Wilder, with illuminating documentary material about the novelist and story.

Rome in Letters

Wilder makes ancient Rome feel close through an inventive exchange of letters and documents.

Come here for

  • A human-scale view of Caesar amid Rome’s many social worlds

Expect

  • An epistolary form that brings public history and private perspectives together

Where it sits

Ancient Historical Fiction98%
Epistolary Fiction85%
The Classics60%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • The Classics
  • Ancient Historical Fiction
  • Literary Fiction
  • Political Fiction
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Biographical Fiction
  • Women's Fiction
  • Epistolary Fiction
  • City Life Fiction
Authors
Thornton Wilder
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
August 11, 2020
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Julius Caesar and ancient Rome · Roman society · Spies and assassination
Reading lane
The Classics