Quo Vadis
The Latin phrase, "Quo Vadis?" means "Whither goest thou?" It is a phrase of great meaning to Christians. The author of "Quo Vadis, " Henryk Sienkiewicz, was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1905, and the enduring popularity of "Quo Vadis" contributed greatly to the award. Set in Rome in the time of Nero, "Quo Vadis"...more
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by Aegypan
(first published 1894)
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Great book for a retreat! Spiritually invigorating, makes one excited about the Catholic faith. It is fiction with references to standard Catholic tradition, and is set in the time of the Christian persecutions in Rome during the reign of Nero. The focus of the novel is a love story between a Roman centurion and a beautiful Christian princess-in-exile. The story's central conflict takes place in the person of the centurion's friend, who also happens to be a cultural lackey in the court of Nero. ...more
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Recommends it for:
EVERYONE!!!!
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Well, it's finally here! Taryn's all time favorite book!!! I am a Christian (Catholic, to be specific) so that may have something to do with how much I love this book, but either way, I would recommend it to ANYONE!!! it is an amazing read and you can take pride in the fact that you're reading a book that was originally written HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO! my copy (I found it at a used book store for only $15!!!) is from a re-publication of it in the late 1800's!!!! Yeah, I pretty much gu...more
Clearly capturing the depravity of man while outlining the persecution of the early church, Quo Vadis vividly depicts first century life in the Roman Empire for slave, centurion, and emperor.
As Sienkiewicz's final display of descriptive prowess at the climax, he floods his readers' senses with the evidence of a smoldering Rome. I've never been so tantalized by antiquity than after reading this historical fiction.
All the while reading a bit like a best seller and not an ...more
As Sienkiewicz's final display of descriptive prowess at the climax, he floods his readers' senses with the evidence of a smoldering Rome. I've never been so tantalized by antiquity than after reading this historical fiction.
All the while reading a bit like a best seller and not an ...more
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I read the book with a certain gusto, oftentimes not wanting to put it down for long stretches of time. However, at times the book was rather daunting. I wanted to find out what happened next, but took it up only with reluctance. I feel like the book has given a great insight into the Roman life during Nero as well as the early Christian movement. Granted, as the book progressed, I felt like the focus became less so on Rome and Nero and more on the Christians, with many pages devoted to the expe...more
This may be the worst book I have ever read that didn't have the words "Danielle Steele" somewhere on the cover . ..until you hit the description of Nero's burning of Rome. For about 30 pages it is terrific, and then reverts back to some of the worst prose and suppressed erotic perversity I have ever laid eyes upon. Those nutty early Christians spend a LOT of time looking at golden-haired maidens in diaphanous gowns, and there is a moment where Petronius has his slave Eunice whipped i...more
A book about ideas with a thrilling plot. It's about the rise of Christianity amid the cruelty and corruption of Imperial Rome.
Near the end of Quo Vadis Petronius (Arbiter) writes a letter in reply to his nephew Vicinius who has fled Rome with his bride, Ligia. In the letter Petronius discusses his philosophy and his fate contrasting it with the Christian belief that Vicinius has accepted. He says:
"There are only two philosophers that I care about, Pyrrho and Anacreon. You know what they stand for. The rest, along with the new Greek schools and all the Roman Stoics, you can have for the price of beans. ...more
"There are only two philosophers that I care about, Pyrrho and Anacreon. You know what they stand for. The rest, along with the new Greek schools and all the Roman Stoics, you can have for the price of beans. ...more
Il Cristianesimo, questo sconosciuto
Dunque sì, accomodatevi pure.
Non state troppo indietro. Venite pure avanti, che altrimenti non potete vedere la magia di cui oggi sarete esclusivi spettatori . Ebbene, ecco quello che accadrà fra qualche istante. Svuoterò la mia mente. Cancellerò la mia memoria a breve e lungo termine, e di colpo sarò una Noce Moscata che non ha letto “Quo vadis?” a 17 anni, e non l’ha neanche riletto a 34.
“Sim salabim, abracadabra, tutti giù per terra, p...more
Dunque sì, accomodatevi pure.
Non state troppo indietro. Venite pure avanti, che altrimenti non potete vedere la magia di cui oggi sarete esclusivi spettatori . Ebbene, ecco quello che accadrà fra qualche istante. Svuoterò la mia mente. Cancellerò la mia memoria a breve e lungo termine, e di colpo sarò una Noce Moscata che non ha letto “Quo vadis?” a 17 anni, e non l’ha neanche riletto a 34.
“Sim salabim, abracadabra, tutti giù per terra, p...more
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"Quo Vadis" by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz is a jewel of historical fiction. While the 1951 film is excellent, it is dated; the novel, however, transcends time. The heartrending and vivid portrait of Roman life in the days of Nero combines a romance with the acta sanctorum amid breathtaking historical accuracy. The feelings of the young tribune Marcus Vinicius for the Christian maiden Ligia Callina are transformed by sacrifice and suffering from mere lust into profound love an...more
prix nobel de littérature 1905
*
" Je songe à une grande épopée chrétienne où je voudrais introduire saint Pierre, saint Paul et Néron, la première persécution, et donner une série de tableaux tellement universels et magnifiques que l'on serait obligé de les traduire du polonais dans toutes les langues " : telle était l'ambition de Henryk Sienkiewicz lorsqu'il entreprit, en 1895, la rédaction de Quo Vadis ?.
Pari gagné : l'année suivante, le roman est tradui...more
*
" Je songe à une grande épopée chrétienne où je voudrais introduire saint Pierre, saint Paul et Néron, la première persécution, et donner une série de tableaux tellement universels et magnifiques que l'on serait obligé de les traduire du polonais dans toutes les langues " : telle était l'ambition de Henryk Sienkiewicz lorsqu'il entreprit, en 1895, la rédaction de Quo Vadis ?.
Pari gagné : l'année suivante, le roman est tradui...more
"Quo Vadis" is an epic. Set in Rome in the first century, it tells of the love between a young and hansome Roman Tribune named Vinicius and a barbarian princes who is held in Rome as the political hostage hostage of the empire. Living in a Christian household, Lygia has become Christian herself. Vinicius' patron Petronious, a cynical, worldly aestete with great influence in the Imperial Court, suggests that Emperor Nero move her into his palace so that Vinicius might court her more eas...more
Although Quo Vadis was written in 1895, this version is a recent translation from the Polish (+/- 2000 I think) that's very well done and reads smoothly. In many ways, this book is the template for what's thought of as "cutting edge" Christian historical fiction today. Specifically, the violence is violent and the sex is sexual, without ever crossing the line towards gratuity. It's a much better portrayal of reality than the modern Christian books of the last 20-30 years that seem t...more
Note: glancing at the reviews below, the translation you read really seems to matter here. The Version I read was by Jeremiah Curtin.
I thought it was fascinating. Very much enjoyed the tensions between the decadence of Nero, the aestheticism of Petronius, and the early schisms in the interpretations of Christian faith as represented by the Apostle Peter, the bishop Crispus, and Paul of Tarsus.
The love story was tangential for me. I was far more interested in the machinations at court and the ri...more
I thought it was fascinating. Very much enjoyed the tensions between the decadence of Nero, the aestheticism of Petronius, and the early schisms in the interpretations of Christian faith as represented by the Apostle Peter, the bishop Crispus, and Paul of Tarsus.
The love story was tangential for me. I was far more interested in the machinations at court and the ri...more
I'm reading this for my honors European literature class. How fun. It's actually not that bad once you get past the first few chapters. I find the Roman time period fascinating and I love historical fiction so I think it should be an interesting book. I'll let you know. ;)
Update... some parts were incredibly cheesy. BUT, for the most part it was a really good book. I enjoyed the read, it is a long book, but it kept me entertained and was worth the read. :)
Update... some parts were incredibly cheesy. BUT, for the most part it was a really good book. I enjoyed the read, it is a long book, but it kept me entertained and was worth the read. :)
顯克維支(Sienkiewicz)的這本書得到了1905年的諾貝爾文學獎.這本書的內容大致上是在描述古羅馬尼祿(Nero,或稱尼羅,54~68AC在位)治下的羅馬帝國.
故事的主軸主要是圍繞著年輕的羅馬護民官維尼西阿斯與蠻族(莉琪雅族)公主莉琪雅(又稱卡迪娜)的愛情故事.但是更重要的是在描寫當時羅馬帝國受到基督教影響的情形.
維尼西阿斯原本是一個高傲的羅馬貴族,曾經企圖用粗暴的方式來得到莉琪雅.但是在抓捕莉琪雅時被她忠勇的僕人烏爾索斯所制服,之後在與基督徒相處的時候受到了他們的影響.之後他開始學習基督教的道理,最後也成為基督徒,並與莉琪雅訂下婚約.
但是由於尼祿王火燒羅馬城,之後無法順利地平息民怨,便以基督徒作為替罪羔羊,許多基督徒遭迫害至死.烏爾索斯本打算安靜受死,但由於莉琪雅被綁在衝入競技場內的野牛上,即將面臨生命危險,便挺身以超人的神力殺死了野牛,使全場轟動,要求赦免他們,之後尼祿也在群眾壓力下照做.
信徒們勸使徒彼得逃出羅馬,彼得起初不願意,但在信徒的苦苦哀求下還是屈服了.彼得在逃離羅馬城時...more
故事的主軸主要是圍繞著年輕的羅馬護民官維尼西阿斯與蠻族(莉琪雅族)公主莉琪雅(又稱卡迪娜)的愛情故事.但是更重要的是在描寫當時羅馬帝國受到基督教影響的情形.
維尼西阿斯原本是一個高傲的羅馬貴族,曾經企圖用粗暴的方式來得到莉琪雅.但是在抓捕莉琪雅時被她忠勇的僕人烏爾索斯所制服,之後在與基督徒相處的時候受到了他們的影響.之後他開始學習基督教的道理,最後也成為基督徒,並與莉琪雅訂下婚約.
但是由於尼祿王火燒羅馬城,之後無法順利地平息民怨,便以基督徒作為替罪羔羊,許多基督徒遭迫害至死.烏爾索斯本打算安靜受死,但由於莉琪雅被綁在衝入競技場內的野牛上,即將面臨生命危險,便挺身以超人的神力殺死了野牛,使全場轟動,要求赦免他們,之後尼祿也在群眾壓力下照做.
信徒們勸使徒彼得逃出羅馬,彼得起初不願意,但在信徒的苦苦哀求下還是屈服了.彼得在逃離羅馬城時...more
I was on a Roman history kick when I read this, having just watch the TV series "Rome" and read the novel "I, Claudius". This book has a lot more spiritual subject matter than previous Roman history books I've read, which is a nice change. Usually the authors just wave a hand and more or less say, "Oh yeah, and there's the Christians over there, we all know what they were up to". I'm glad someone took the trouble to write a novel on this subject.
Christians! Lions! Romans! O r g i e s! Mayhem! Wow!
I can see why this book has been translated into more than 50 languages. Although it was originally published in 1895, it doesn't seem dated. The plot moves quickly (even frantically sometimes), and I thought the main characters were well developed.
Because this book is in the public domain, you can read it for free via Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) or BookBot (book-bot.com).
I can see why this book has been translated into more than 50 languages. Although it was originally published in 1895, it doesn't seem dated. The plot moves quickly (even frantically sometimes), and I thought the main characters were well developed.
Because this book is in the public domain, you can read it for free via Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) or BookBot (book-bot.com).
This one took me a long time to read mostly, I think, because it is in translation, and though I had a good translation, translated books just don’t read very naturally (I wonder if this is part of why it’s hard to read the Bible, sometimes?).
But well worth the read. The picture that Sienkiewicz paints of the early church in Rome is enthralling and convicting. Though I did not entirely buy the romance at the heart of the story, and am not entirely sure I buy the characterizations of...more
But well worth the read. The picture that Sienkiewicz paints of the early church in Rome is enthralling and convicting. Though I did not entirely buy the romance at the heart of the story, and am not entirely sure I buy the characterizations of...more
What an incomparable and monumental testament to Christ's faithfulness! Sienkiewicz's lavish descriptions and details of the Roman lifestyle are so vivid one can almost taste the dust of the arena and smell the verbena in scented villas.
However, what was more impressing about the novel for me was how closely the deterioration of Nero's Rome parallels with America's current descent into sybaritism. I can only wonder when Washington will begin the harrowing of the religions and the church wil...more
However, what was more impressing about the novel for me was how closely the deterioration of Nero's Rome parallels with America's current descent into sybaritism. I can only wonder when Washington will begin the harrowing of the religions and the church wil...more
Did Nero fiddle while Rome burned? This novel poses an answer to that question, while tackling more directly how Christianity ("Chrestos") came to supersede belief in the Roman, Greek and other gods in the Mediterranean. Like so many modern novels that seem like they're written just to be made into movies, this 19th century novel, written by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, would seem to make an awesome heroic movie. It's got everything: a villain to top all villains (Nero) with a...more
I kept looking at the publishing date on this, not quite able to believe it had been written over a hundred years ago. It tells the tale of Marcus Vinicius, a patrician in the time of Nero who is besmitten with a young foreigner, Lygia, who turns out to be Christian, and Vinicius’s transformation into a believing Christian himself – but not before he has tried to ravish her, kidnap her, and murdered slaves and thrown a big fit first. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the excesses o...more
It is a shame that this book, which was a best seller when it was published in 1895 and earned the author a Nobel Prize, is so little known today. Sienkiewicz was fastidious in his research and does an amazing job of bringing to life the decadence and excess of Imperial Rome during the time of Nero. The beginning can be a bit tedious because of the Latin names used. The edition I have has a summary list of characters in the back to help keep them straight. The literary quality here is exempl...more
First of all, this is not another I, Claudius. Not even close. The characters are really not very interesting and the book was clearly written with An Agenda. I'm mostly okay with that, since you might say I share in that particular agenda, but I don't like being beaten over the head with it.
With a very old book there are things that give a pass to that I wouldn't for something written more recently. If the romance is melodramatic and everything else is slightly over-the-top, I ...more
With a very old book there are things that give a pass to that I wouldn't for something written more recently. If the romance is melodramatic and everything else is slightly over-the-top, I ...more
The version I read is "Edited and abridged for today's reader by James S. Bell, Jr." I've never read the original Jeremiah Curtin translation (1896) but it probably is a good thing this book was abridged -- the opening of the story was ponderous with Roman terms.
The story shows how early Christianity was shaped by the reality of Christ's resurrection. Christians of that generation saw death differently -- they focused on not giving a witness at their death. Christians sang...more
The story shows how early Christianity was shaped by the reality of Christ's resurrection. Christians of that generation saw death differently -- they focused on not giving a witness at their death. Christians sang...more
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I know this should be obvious, but the "Da Vinci Code" fury requires that I do mention this: these kinds of books ought to be read for what they are, novels, works of fiction, and not narrative-style histories. If books are read according to their genre, they'll be far more enjoyable and less likely to stir stupid controversy.
"Quo Vadis" isn't a history, then, but a work of historical fiction. If you're familiar with the 1951 film starring Deborah Kerr, Robert Taylo...more
"Quo Vadis" isn't a history, then, but a work of historical fiction. If you're familiar with the 1951 film starring Deborah Kerr, Robert Taylo...more
PROS: Rich, honest, and surprisingly unpredictable. The world-building is perfect, with every aspect of society represented by a character without it feeling contrived or them feeling like cyphers. The line between good and evil is realistically thin as even Emperor Nero is given depth and motivations behind his actions. The persecution in the second half is brutal and haunting, yet still a believable outcome of a chaotic populace and desperate bureaucrats. The struggles of the central romance a...more
This was a great book and I would recommend it to anyone. Packed with historical information and written to give the reader a true understanding of what the early church went through when they were persecuted....wow
Câu chuyện tình yêu cảm động của chàng Vinixius và nàng Ligia. Lối miêu tả chân thực của tác giả đã tái hiện sự giàu sang, xa hoa nhưng tàn bạo, khát máu của đế chế La Mã dưới triều đại Nero. Đối diện với nó là tấm lòng lương thiện của những con chiên Thiên Chúa Giáo. Tình yêu của đôi trẻ đã trải qua biết bao nhiêu sóng gió. Nó được xây dựng từ tình cảm cuồng nhiệt của Vinixius và sự thánh thiện, nhân từ của Ligia. Petronius con người tài hoa thích phiêu lưu đã ngã xuống một cách bất khuất. Còn ...more
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Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ([ˈxɛnrɨk ˈadam alɛˈksandɛr ˈpʲus ɕɛnˈkʲevʲitʃ]; also known as "Litwos" [ˈlitfɔs]; May 5, 1846–November 15, 1916) was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. He was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his "outstanding merits as a...more
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“But I think happiness springs from another source, a far deeper one that doesn't depend on will because it comes from love.”
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9 people liked it
“I know, 0 Caesar, that thou art awaiting my arrival with impatience, that thy true heart of a friend is yearning day and night for me. I know that thou art ready to cover me with gifts, make me prefect of the pretorian guards, and command Tigellinus to be that which the gods made him, a mule-driver in those lands which thou didst inherit after poisoning Domitius. Pardon me, however, for I swear to thee by Hades, and by the shades of thy mother, thy wife, thy brother, and Seneca, that I cannot go to thee. Life is a great treasure. I have taken the most precious jewels from that treasure, but in life there are many things which I cannot endure any longer. Do not suppose, I pray, that I am offended because thou didst kill thy mother, thy wife, and thy brother; that thou didst burn Eome and send to Erebus all the honest men in thy dominions. No, grandson of Chronos. Death is the inheritance of man; from thee other deeds could not have been expected. But to destroy one's ear for whole years with thy poetry, to see thy belly of a Domitius on slim legs whirled about in a Pyrrhic dance; to hear thy music, thy declamation, thy doggerel verses, wretched poet of the suburbs, — is a thing surpassing my power, and it has roused in me the wish to die. Eome stuffs its ears when it hears thee; the world reviles thee. I can blush for thee no longer, and I have no wish to do so. The howls of Cerberus, though resembling thy music, will be less offensive to me, for I have never been the friend of Cerberus, and I need not be ashamed of his howling. Farewell, but make no music; commit murder, but write no verses; poison people, but dance not; be an incendiary, but play not on a cithara. This is the wish and the last friendly counsel sent thee by the — Arbiter Elegantiae.”
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