The Augusta

Salve, CO! I guess it was Britannicus. Well, actually, it was both of them that she charged with the delivery of the message. Not that it mattered, as her spinal cord was severed very quickly thereafter by a very swiftly applied gladius! OK - which actor connects 'I, Claudius' and 'Hallo, Hallo' (probably more one for the Brits - unless our cousins have seen the latter comedy series). This should occupy you all for a little while.

Ah, Pertinax - I've been saying the same thing for years. Especially as my sister goes off to the doc's at the drop of a hat for antibiotics when she has 'a virus'. But why do GP's do it? They, above all people, should know that an antibiotic is useless against a virus!

I'm patting myself on the back for two reasons today. Not only did my lads give an entertaining account of themselves (yes - note that word: 'entertaining') against Birmingham to start the new season off with 3 points and 63 home games unbeaten (not to mention Manure's humbling draw), but MORE IMPORTANTLY - my draft of 'Livia' is complete! Those of you who have followed this sad little tale of woe will know that I was struggling with a Tolstoyan word count earlier on, and now find that my complete draft is done at around 140,000 words. So, I now put her away for a week, before taking her out again for a one-off revision. I have suffered with her through countless disappointments and trudged with her through Spartan forests and Campanian dirt-tracks to find myself exhausted with churning out prose and dialogue. The empress has possessed me like Puzo possessed Regan over the last few months, and I will be glad to have a little rest from her constant babblings in my ear. When I reached the last few exchanges, I thought 'Is this really the sweet little thing from page one?' So - I must have achieved what I set out to achieve, and I will now set about her with a ruthless red pen and hopefully, not too much re-writing will be necessary. Oh, Liv - it's been a long hard slog, but we've got there in the end, you and I. I know that there are one or two other budding writers on the board - not to mention our esteemed Flavia, who will have been through all this rigmarole years ago - so I do have allies in this world of insanity. And insanity it is - let me tell you. Have you any idea what it is like to try to sleep at night with 'scenes' and dialogue exchanges buzzing in your head, so that you have to get back up, turn the computer back on and get them onto hard drive before they fly away forever? I now feel that I could walk up to Tiberius Nero in the street and slap him on the back. (And he did the dirty on me as a character. I wanted him to be vile and he took over my brain and made himself quite sweet in a dreary, droning sort of way.) I see actresses on TV and shout 'See - she's a Livia type' because I have this face in my mind's eye 24/7! As for my four totally fictional characters - I now want to know why they're not mentioned in Plutarch! I tell you, guys and gals, to write historical fiction I do believe you have to be just a little bit mad! And I now know why Roberts Graves went to Majorca to live on a bottle of vodka and 40 cigarettes a day! But the hard work and the main story lines are all done now, so I am sitting back tonight with a well-earned vodka and coke (decaf, of course) and preparing to print out a rain forest of paper to attack in a week's time. Or I may even leave her a little longer than that, while I remember that I have another life... Is there another life? Oh, yes - there's UNRV and the Premier League..... and work, of course.... lots of patients with left ventricular hypertrophy and left main stem stenoses. Nah! The real world isn't half as good as writing.....

I think ill swig back a few too May i ask about your book, i am also writing several short stories as well as 20 pages of planning for a roman novel. Whatever you do dont burn those notes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The hardest thing i find is that i'm in australia, which is a fair way away from Rome vtc Don't give up - either of you. I've been at it almost as long as you, MC! The thing is, it was always half-hearted before - and now it's more serious. Only one tip I'd give you: all the research notes in the world ain't worth a light unless you 'feel' your world. Or put it this simplistic way - if you can't imagine yourself a Roman/Anglo Saxon/Tudor/American Civil War man/woman/dog - whatever - how do you expect your readers to believe in it. I've finally done this silly role-playing and it transmits to the writing a treat. As for being in Oz, Tiberius - remember that the great Mary Renault wrote most of her Greek novels before she'd even visited the place! It's all about imagination and feeling. Good luck, both of you.

And so say all of us... Nephele, you have put it in a nutshell. And for all the reasons you state above, this is why IMHO Renault has never yet been surpassed. My one regret is that her great love was Greece and not Rome. But like you, I do not want to read a history book (I have enough of those on my shelves already) - I want to be transported to the time and place and just live everything with the characters. It is far harder for authors to achieve this than one would think. The author of ancient Greece or Rome has to totally suspend his/her 21st century conditioning and morals etc. Once that starts to creep through, no matter how well-intentioned, the story fails for me. For instance, I am sure that most people on the Forum would find the idea of animal sacrifice vile - but if you are writing a novel set in ancient Rome, you have to write to convince the reader that this is a holy and reverent thing. As you say, it's difficult, and very few authors achieve it. If the author must make any moral judgments at all in his/her story, they must be the judgments the Romans themselves would have made.

This depends on whether it is a totally fictional work set within a certain period of Roman history - e.g. Saylor, Scarrow - or our own dear Flavia Gemina (Lawrence) - or a story dealing with facts and actual historical figures. But for either format I would first insist on historical accuracy based on sound research and the definite setting of the story and characters within their own time. There is nothing worse than reading a tale of modern people in costume - and too many historical novels read that way. Secondly, I would want rich characters that stand out on the page and live in the reader's memory long after the book is finished. A good story helps, of course, but a writer has more constraints placed on him/her if dealing with real events. And above all else - and this goes for any novel - it must be well-written, otherwise I usually give up at around page 9, no matter what the setting or the story. I freely admit that I am one of those readers who cannot abide bad writing just for the sake of a plot, yet I will slog away at a boring story as long as the writing engages me.

Yep - thanks, Ursus. The August Perseid shower is an annual perennial for we sad dabblers in astronomy, although I have never managed to see it in all its glory due to always living in a street-light saturated area. But if anyone can get out to a dark sky area (the countryside, for example) this is well worth the effort. And the constellation itself is beautiful through the telescope - especially the famous cluster. In fact, a tear comes to my eye as I tell you that Perseus is one of the most beautiful constellations in the night sky.

Oh - in the name of Neptune's Nuts - why??????? Wasn't it bad enough first time round? Although I take issue with you a little here, Pertinax! If they did give us the true bloody relationship between Alex and his Heffy - at least it would make the damned thing interesting! As for the gorgeous Angie - I'm afraid she can do no wrong for me. Full-blooded man-lover as I am....... Grrrrhhhh. Just put the woman on a screen.... On a serious note - I have read your comments on Angie's oaken emotional depth in other threads, and I would disagree in the main, as I have seen every single thing she has done and in some works she has shown a fair amount of emotion (especially earlier work before she was deemed 'movie star' material). However, in terms of the present film - I really do believe (and you can laugh if you wish) that she was the only one in this catastrophe who even attempted to show some remote connection to the historical character she was supposed to be playing. Olympias was cold and ruthless; enigmatic and mysterious - and - hey! she was a 'foreigner' among all those lovely Irish lads. This alone lent her some gravitas! I don't know if you have read Renault's Alexandriad on which Oliver Stone purported to base the film, but the written Olympias has much in common with the sultry Jolie (except, of course, she should have red hair!) But even if we disagree on this, I think we can agree that a remake would be foolish in the extreme! May the gods forgive me - I would rather see a remake of 'Caligula'. ETA: For 'remake' read: 're-edit'.

Salve, Lady A! I guess it was Julia. Yep! I always remember thinking it was one of Jack Pulman's (the scriptwriter's) greatest lines. 'Living with Tiberius wasn't the fulfilling experience I'd hoped it would be. I was seldom filled and never full.'

I won't be entering this time, but I would be happy to help out behind the scenes if needed.

He had just announced that he was marrying Messalina to Claudius. It was after that gorgeous scene with the ballet dance, when he was dressed as Goddess Dawn. Where the god of night sleeps on The rosy-fingered goddess Dawn Tiptoes on his domain Yep - I even know the lyrics to that song..... I need to get out more, guys! Another one: Who was seldom filled and never full?

I too enjoyed this review, Ursus - and I will certainly be buying this one. My only regret is that it's not set in the Augustan era, but that is only a very small, self-indulgent nitpick! It sounds the sort of book that would be absolutely invaluable for background information.

Cato, I don't know if you would have time, but the Tower is not to be missed. Forget the silly crown jewels bit - they're not worth a light (tawdry and over-rated IMHO - they all look like paste!) - but just to wander through the various rooms and the towers, up and down the narrow twisting staircases is a wonderful experience. It brought me close to tears. There's also an array of carvings in the walls from various famous prisoners. Whatever your favourite period of history, I really can recommend the Tower - and it is extremely accessible by tube.

Salve, DN! I guess that would be Narcissus. No, it's not Narcissus. Now this is going to bug me - but I won't look at the DVDs. All I can say off the top of my head, Drusus, is that the actor is George Innes and he plays a captain of the Praetorian Guard and he has just embroiled himself with the business of Messallina and Silius. He wishes to alert Claudius to what is going on (if I remember rightly) but Pallas won't let him because Pallas wants to use the treasonable marriage to get rid of Messallina. Something along those lines....

Salve, Lady A! It took me more than two minutes, so I failed. I guess it was "Thallus". Cheers & have fun! Hi, again, my oracle... Nope - but I'll put you out of your misery. Her first word is actually 'Wonderful' in a sarcastic tone. Now, not a quote, but a question: Who had everyone heard of? (This one might keep you busy for an hour or two - I hope)

Right Asclepiades - I've had just about enough of you... You have 2 minutes - without looking at the DVDs to give me Livia's first word in the entire series! (Hehe - this is fun!)

Ha, that's easy. That would be John Castle in the role of Postumus Agrippa. Hehe - Grrh - damn you, Neph! OK - name the character, scene and actor: "I am sorry to have been the cause of that unpleasantness"

Asclepiades - either you are as mad as me, or you've been watching the DVDs constantly Right, mate - I'll get ya! What colour loin cloth is Augustus wearing at the Games in 23BC... (No - that one was a joke - honest! ) But chew over this one for a while: What scene begins with: "Well, well, well...what have we here - tourists?" And give me the actor's name (not the character's)

Who nevertheless dispensed with their brogues! Unlike Leech, who retained his to convey his rusticity... (or at least I'd like to give HBO and the actor the benefit of the doubt and believe this was the case).

Points taken, Flavia. But why, then, are British actors always hired when gravitas is required? I would agree that if we were to stick rigidly to authenticity, then we should have Italians - God forbid NOT Americans, who weren't even in the world at the time! This is the same with renditions of Shakespeare's plays - where the actors should be English or nothing! I could put up with Italians. Americans are so anachronistic in epics of the Classical world, that I cannot take them seriously. Perhaps the reason that the Brits are preferred is due to the Bard who penned one or two classical histories, hence setting a standard. Therefore, the Brits 'doing Classical' have passed into the canon. Perhaps it's sad, but there it is. Historically speaking, I cannot accept an accent from a nation with only a few hundred years of history. Yeah - I'm old fashioned. And rather like Augustus Caesar, who penned a similar thought in another thread, this is not said as a detriment to our trans-Atlantic cousins as a nation - merely as a theatrical yardstick. This could run and run, so we should perhaps leave it here.

Hey pleb... You lookin' at me? I actually adore Bob. I think he is probably one of the very best American actors around, but I really don't see him as a Roman in any shape or form. And the rest of the glittery cast does not exactly inspire confidence either. Nor does the director! Let us hope these talks fail and someone else takes up the idea, for I agree, the book would make an enjoyable adventure film. But Orlando Bloom as our hero? God save us all! Memories of Brad in Troy, anyone...?

Oh, Pertinax - I thought this at the actual time I watched it. And so did the kids (who were actually fans, so they had no nasty preconceptions). We all said that all it needed was the line: "We should unite against the common enemy....."

Spot on! Well done.

Your emphasis, however, does clarify that the grand-daughter of Atticus was Vipsania who married Tiberius and bore Drusus the younger. I would agree that if Varus married a daughter of Agrippa, she had to be the fruit of the second marriage to Marcella Major. You state that Tacitus mentions this connection, Asclepiades. Could you point me to the passage. I have to say it is something that has totally passed me by. However, if Varus was connected to Augustus in this way it may well explain why he was appointed in the first place. And a question for Ingsoc. Is there a text online of Augustus' funeral oration for Agrippa published in 1970? This, too, has passed me by! If it's out there somewhere, I'd love to have a copy. Thanks, guys. ETA: (Sorry, Ingsoc - I have just read the scrap from your link to the JSTOR article that explains that this laudatio only exists in a fragment - therefore, no need to answer the question)

Salve, Lady TA! Methinks they are Livilla and Livia, in that order. But it's only an educated guess. Cheers and good lucK. Salve, Asclepiades. Nope! Livia is one of them though.