Memoirs Of Hadrian By Marguerite Yourcenar - 1377 Words

Memoirs of Hadrian is a timeless historical novel that describes the life and accomplishments of the great Roman Emperor Hadrian and the impact he had culturally on western civilization. The story is told from Hadrian’s own point of view when he is an old man looking back on his life and is written as a letter to Marcus Aurelious who he had chosen to be his successor as emperor. This book sheds light on the achievements that Hadrian made during his reign while also providing an interesting perspective since the novel is written from a first person point of view. Overall I feel that the author Marguerite Yourcenar did a wonderful job of bringing such an interesting character to life while still remaining factual in regards to the important historical aspects of Hadrian’s reign. The book begins with Hadrian as an old man nearing his deathbed and wanting to give his adopted successor Marcus Aurelious a personal account of his life and reign in order to help prepare him for the role he is going to undertake soon. Hadrian tells Marcus that he was born in Italica and his family was Spanish. His father was a Senator but Hadrian’s family was not one of wealth. His father passes away when Hadrian is only twelve years old and his mother never remarries, remaining a widow the rest of her life. Hadrian goes to Spain to receive his education where he becomes fascinated with the more philosophical subjects, especially anything relating to Greek culture. In the book Hadrian feels that