Steven Saylor, whose latest novel, part of his Roma Sub Rosa series, is “The Throne of Caesar,” just out in trade paperback, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky.
The author of several historical mysteries set in ancient Rome, Steven Saylor’s latest novel takes his detective protagonist, Gordianus the Finder, to the days leading to the assassination of Julius Caesar. In the novel, Gordianus has just been appointed by Caesar to the Roman Senate, and has been tasked by Caesar and by Cicero, to discover if there’s any plot afoot to kill the dictator before he leaves to conquer Parthia. Along the way, Steven Saylor takes us into the life and culture of Rome at the time, from how to buy a toga to what foods are eaten at feasts.
In this discussion, he talks about some of the facts he discovered along the way, his life as a writer, and the relationship of the fall of the Roman Republic to what might, or might not, be happening in America today.
An extended version of this interview can be found as a Radio Wolinsky podcast.
Also: Review of “The Year of Magical Thinking” at Aurora Theatre company.