325:, has an agenda of his own, leading to an armed insurrection which Marius himself has to put down. To cap it all, he also suffers a minor stroke during the summer, although he makes a full recovery. Tarred by association, his political career seems over: but after fighting many battles together, there is some reason for Marius and Sulla to hope that Rome will have peace for a few years.
282:, and his marriage to the (fictitious) younger daughter of 'Julius Caesar Grandfather', Julilla. McCullough explains that, while it is certainly known Sulla's first wife was a Julia, it is not known to which branch of the Julii she belonged, but she was certainly a relation of Marius's better-known Julian wife, hence the decision to assign her the role in the novel of a younger sister.
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However, although Marius can be considered the protagonist, Sulla occasionally becomes the central figure of the narrative; there are several lengthy sections dealing with his plot to murder the two wealthy women with whom he lives, his use of the newfound wealth in establishing himself politically,
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the critic found: "Evoking with impeccably researched, meticulous detail the political and social fabric of Rome in the last days of the
Republic, McCullough demonstrates a thoroughgoing understanding of an age in which birth and blood lines determine one's fate, and the auctoritas and dignitas of
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the Roman family mean more than any personal relationship...As usual, McCullough tells a good story, describing political intrigue, social infighting and bloody battles with authoritative skill, interpolating domestic drama and even a soupcon of romance."
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The novel was also translated into French, Italian, and German in 1990, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish and
Hungarian in 1991, Russian in 1993, Polish in 1999, Portuguese in 2000, Serbian in 2003, and Lithuanian in 2010.
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The main plot of the novel is generally concerned with the rise of Marius, his marriage to Julia, his success in replacing
Metellus as general in charge of the Numidian theatre of war, his defeat of King
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for generations – a defeat which so ruins the credibility of the conservative leaders of the Senate that it lets Marius into power far earlier than he expected, and for a longer time.
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The novel closes with Marius's sixth consulship, in which he proves not to be as adept politically as he is militarily: and the tribune whose help he needs,
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Much of the narrative is also told in the form of letters between the protagonists – Marius, Sulla, Old Caesar and frequently their friend,
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reviewer Mary Sikora noted: "It's thick and sometimes plodding, but
Colleen McCullough has come through with a good one again with
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family resulting in a double marriage, which proves disastrous when
Quintus Servilius Caepio Senior is not only accused of
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After the novel's initial publication by
William Morrow in US and Century in the UK in 1990, it was reprinted as follows:
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The cast of the novel includes most of the major historical figures of the late
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embezzling more gold than there was in the Roman
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his homosexual relationship with the Greek child-actor
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293:who both feature more prominently in
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215:Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus
761:Cultural depictions of Gaius Marius
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736:Novels set in the 2nd century BC
590:A Creed for the Third Millennium
427:Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)
421:Sikora, Mary (9 December 1990).
16:1990 novel by Colleen McCullough
751:Cultural depictions of Cossutia
469:. National Library of Australia
402:. National Library of Australia
307:, but also is responsible for
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242:, his re-organization of the
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367:Avon Books, USA, 1991, 2008
364:Arrow Books, UK, 1990, 1991
323:Lucius Appuleius Saturninus
223:Lucius Appuleius Saturninus
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597:The Ladies of Missalonghi
441:""The First Man in Rome""
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756:Century (imprint) books
211:Marcus Aemilius Scaurus
180:, and the first in her
731:Novels with gay themes
721:1990 Australian novels
716:Masters of Rome series
649:The First Man in Rome
502:by Colleen McCullough"
370:Head of Zeus, UK, 2013
316:Publius Rutilius Rufus
219:Publius Rutilius Rufus
199:Lucius Cornelius Sulla
22:The First Man in Rome
664:Fortune's Favourites
583:An Indecent Obsession
500:The First Man in Rome
465:The First Man in Rome
398:The First Man in Rome
361:Guild Press, UK, 1990
339:The First Man in Rome
176:by Australian author
169:The First Man in Rome
694:Antony and Cleopatra
287:Marcus Livius Drusus
443:. Publishers Weekly
353:Publication history
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741:1990s LGBTQ novels
552:Colleen McCullough
329:Critical reception
178:Colleen McCullough
75:Historical fiction
43:Colleen McCullough
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687:The October Horse
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335:Dayton Daily News
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193:, including
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626:Bittersweet
498:"Austlit —
291:Livia Drusa
248:consulships
710:Categories
620:Angel Puss
550:Novels by
379:References
264:Marcomanni
244:Roman Army
172:is a 1990
613:The Touch
504:. Austlit
280:Metrobius
126:paperback
111:Australia
81:Publisher
272:Tigurini
268:Cherusci
262:and the
256:Teutones
236:Jugurtha
186:series.
122:hardback
49:Language
726:100s BC
508:19 June
473:19 June
447:19 June
406:19 June
240:Numidia
120:Print (
90:Century
53:English
696:(2007)
690:(2002)
682:(1997)
679:Caesar
674:(1996)
666:(1993)
660:(1991)
652:(1990)
641:series
628:(2013)
622:(2005)
616:(2003)
608:(2000)
600:(1987)
592:(1987)
586:(1981)
578:(1977)
570:(1974)
559:Novels
260:Cimbri
258:, the
252:German
160:
59:Series
39:Author
207:Julia
133:Pages
71:Genre
510:2024
475:2024
449:2024
408:2024
221:and
197:and
142:ISBN
124:and
102:1990
92:(UK)
87:(US)
567:Tim
344:In
341:."
238:of
136:896
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
