Audiobooks by Suetonius

Brought to you by Penguin. A masterful new translation of Suetonius' renowned biography of the twelve Caesars, bringing to life a portrait of the first Roman emperors in stunning detail The ancient Roman empire was the supreme arena, where emperors had no choice but to fight, to thrill, to dazzle. To rule as a Caesar was to stand as an actor upon the great stage of the world. No biography invites us into the lives of the Caesars more vividly or intimately than that by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, written from the centre of Rome and power, in AD 121. Placing each Caesar in the context of the generations that had gone before, and connecting personality with policy, Suetonius injected flesh and blood into their stories, which continue to inform how we understand the drama of power today. Their shortfalls, foreign policy crises and sex scandals are laid bare; we are shown their tastes, their foibles, their eccentricities; and we sit at their tables and enter their bedrooms, resulting in a series of biographies mediated through the lives of the Caesars themselves. That Rome lives more vividly in people's imagination than any other ancient empire owes an inordinate amount to Suetonius, and now award-winning author and translator Tom Holland brings us even closer in a new, spellbinding translation. Giving a deeper understanding of the personal lives of the Caesars and of how they inevitably informed what happened across the vast expanse of empire, The Lives of the Caesars is an astonishing, immersive experience of a time and culture at once familiar and utterly alien to our own. ©2024 Suetonius (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Suetonius (Author), Justin Avoth, TBD, Tom Holland (Narrator)

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The Lives of the Caesars (Unabridged)

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Written by Suetonius in 121 AD, 'The Lives of the Caesars' details the lives of Julius Caesar and the first eleven emperors of Rome. Instead of focusing on grand political events or military conquests, Suetonius delves into the personal lives, habits, and even vices of these rulers. He uses a unique format, covering each emperor's family history, rise to power, public acts, private life, and death. While the book offers valuable insights into the personalities and daily lives of the emperors, it often includes scandalous details and gossip, which might not always be accurate. Despite its limitations, 'The Lives of the Caesars' remains a captivating and influential work, offering a glimpse into the inner world of leaders who shaped the Roman Empire.

Suetonius (Author), Digital Voice Marcus G (Narrator)

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How to Be a Bad Emperor: An Ancient Guide to Truly Terrible Leaders

If recent history has taught us anything, it's that sometimes the best guide to leadership is the negative example. But that insight is hardly new. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Suetonius wrote Lives of the Caesars, perhaps the greatest negative leadership book of all time. He was ideally suited to write about terrible political leaders; after all, he was also the author of Famous Prostitutes and Words of Insult, both sadly lost. In How to Be a Bad Emperor, Josiah Osgood provides crisp new translations of Suetonius's briskly paced, darkly comic biographies of the Roman emperors Julius Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero. Entertaining and shocking, the stories of these ancient anti-role models show how power inflames leaders' worst tendencies, causing almost incalculable damage. How to Be a Bad Emperor is both a gleeful romp through some of the nastiest bits of Roman history and a perceptive account of leadership gone monstrously awry. We meet Caesar, using his aunt's funeral to brag about his descent from gods and kings-and hiding his bald head with a comb-over and a laurel crown; Tiberius, neglecting public affairs in favor of wine, perverse sex, tortures, and executions; the insomniac sadist Caligula, flaunting his skill at cruel put-downs; and the matricidal Nero, indulging his mania for public performance.

Suetonius (Author), P.J. Ochlan (Narrator)

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Caligula, life of a roman emperor

Suetonius' most important surviving work is known as the De Vita Caesarum, a set of twelve biographies of the successive Roman rulers. The emperor Caligula was one of the strangest and cruelest rulers that ever lived, and most of what is known about his reign comes from Suetonius. The first six months of his reign appear to have been moderate and successful; but after that, he fell into a spiral of sadism, sexual perversity, and plain insanity that made him one of the most hated tyrants of all time. His biography gathers many extravagant anecdotes, from naming his horse consul to calling people to his palace in the middle of the night just to play a strange game of fright with them. He was eventually assassinated, but not before many strange omens predicted the event, according to Suetonius.

Suetonius (Author), Jonathan Waite (Narrator)

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Nero, life of a roman emperor

Suetonius' most important surviving work is known as the De Vita Caesarum, a set of twelve biographies of the successive Roman rulers. The emperor Nero's reign is one weird tale of sexual depravity and extravagant sadism. He was a gifted musician, and is said to have given great concerts of which attendance was compulsory; women were said to have given birth during the performance, and men were driven to fake death to escape. Nero kicked his pregnant wife to death and then had a young boy castrated to replace her as his spouse; then, during the great fire of Rome, he is said to have played the lyre to emphasize the beauty of the destruction. His eccentricities are a continuation of the tradition of his predecessors, only more perverted; Suetonius' account portray a strange man in strange times.

Suetonius (Author), Jonathan Waite (Narrator)

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Caligula, life of a roman emperor

Suetonius (Author), Jonathan Waite (Narrator)

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Nero, life of a roman emperor

Suetonius (Author), Jonathan Waite (Narrator)

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Nero, life of a roman emperor

Arsene Lupin: one of the most famous and intriguing figures of French detective literature. He was created by Maurice Leblanc, a brilliant journalist, writer and storyteller, and is the hero of a total of 24 books, novels and short stories alike. The fictional gentleman thief is a master of disguise, a criminal genius and a moral figure well-set in righting a few wrongs himself when Justice can't be bothered. Léontine Zalti was once immensely rich and famous, and the greatest jewelers treated her as a queen. Today, nothing is left of her immense fortune, save for one black pearl, her prize and passion. This is a challenge Arsene Lupin cannot resist. But he's in for a surprise...This series of audiobooks recorded by the best storytellers recaptures all the elegance and finesse of the beloved French criminal.

Suetonius (Author), Jonathan Waite (Narrator)

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Caligula, life of a roman emperor

Arsene Lupin: one of the most famous and intriguing figures of French detective literature. He was created by Maurice Leblanc, a brilliant journalist, writer and storyteller, and is the hero of a total of 24 books, novels and short stories alike. The fictional gentleman thief is a master of disguise, a criminal genius and a moral figure well-set in righting a few wrongs himself when Justice can't be bothered. Arsene Lupin has set himself a challenge: to rob Madame Imbert's safe, in which are kept millions. The Imberts are a tough pair, their private mansion is a fortress, and Madame Imbert keeps the only key on her person at all times. This is a case for one master thief. This series of audiobooks recorded by the best storytellers recaptures all the elegance and finesse of the beloved French criminal.

Suetonius (Author), Jonathan Waite (Narrator)

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The Twelve Caesars

Suetonius (Author), Clive Chafer (Narrator)

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars

Suetonius wrote his Lives of the Twelve Caesars in the reign of Vespasian around A. D. 70. He chronicled the extraordinary careers of Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian and Domitian and the rest in technicolour terms. They presented some high and low times at the heart of the Roman Empire. The accounts provide us with perspicacious insights into the men as much as their reigns - and it was from Suetonius that subsequent writers such as Robert Graves drew so much of their material.

Suetonius (Author), Derek Jacobi (Narrator)

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