Quo Vadis

what a great book! Sometimes it seems slow in the middle as the main character, Marcus Vinicius, struggles with his love for a female hostage queen,Lygia, who is Christian and his upbringing as a Roman. However, you are rewarded with seeing the subtle changes in his character leading to the arena scene which is quite satisfying. The book ends quickly after that but really It could have gone on for another 500 pages as far as I was concerned. Every character is so well developed. You see the psychosis of Nero in his love of flattery and stubborn childishness when he thinks he is wronged. I have no idea if the reasons given for his evil are true but the slow development of Nero's insanity is amazing it is of little wonder that Henryk show more Sienkiewicz got a Nobel Prize for the work in 1905. The various scenes in the book describing life in Nero's court and Rome pre/post fire are amazing in detail.

My book is a battered but readable copy from 1897 translated by Jeremiah Curtin....the translation seems a tad literal but I did not care...it added to the feeling of this being an historic book of the times....Personally I hate a translation using modern language in a story set in ancient Rome.

On a final note the book is rather heavy in religious overtones as you might expect but it is done so in a manner that is not offensive. I wish that Christians today showed the quality of mercy and forgiveness that are exhibited in this book. show less

Although I am not a Christian, or otherwise religious, I have to say that Quo Vadis is one of the most moving and emotional novels I have read. It is also quite different in several important respects from the 1950 film, great all time screen favourite of mine though that is. In the book, Vinicius is terrible before his conversion, his love for Lygia being more of a sadistic desire to control and dominate her, a desire that leads him, for example, to kill outright in a moment of anger a slave who nursed him as a child. I assume for the film they thought that it would not be a success if Robert Taylor as a square-jawed hero was seen doing/saying such things. By the same token, after his conversion, he is far more evangelical than show more portrayed on screen. In general, much of the same events happen on screen and in the book, but in the latter they happen far more intensely – the sufferings of the Christians in the amphitheatre and on the crosses being a particularly moving and disturbing case in point, with quite surprisingly graphic detail for a 19th century novel.

Other minor differences – Aulus (not a Christian in the book) and Pomponia play a lesser role and fade out of the narrative fairly early on. Poppea is a very minor character in the book, Paul of Tarsus a more major one and who seems to meet his martyrdom despite being a Roman citizen.

If one can overlook the fact that many modern scholars do not believe that Nero did actually start the Great Fire of Rome, this is a great historical novel for anyone interested in ancient Rome or early Christianity show less

Quo Vadis? is one of my three all-time favorite books. It is set in the time of Nero, when the Christians in Rome began to suffer persecution. The story starts with a young Roman commander, Marcus Vinicius, whose uncle Petronius is a favorite of the emperor. Marcus has met the woman of his dreams, the beautiful Lygia, in the house of a friend and is determined to marry her. What he doesn't know is that Lygia is a member of the new sect, the Christians. When Petronius speaks to Nero and procures Lygia for his nephew, Marcus is overjoyed and prepares his house for Lygia's coming. But she, though attracted to him, is not willing to marry a pagan, and she is rescued from her bridal litter by a group of Christians (including her faithful show more servant, the giant of a man Ursus).

Lygia disappears into the vast city of Rome, and Marcus is devastated. He orders a search for her, and she is eventually located by the Greek Chilomedes. Marcus plans a break-in to capture her, but is injured in the fight. The Christians with whom Lygia is staying take the proud Roman in and care for his wounds, and during this time Marcus and Lygia get to know one another better. Marcus is not yet a Christian, but as he sees the kindness and mercy of the Christians, he begins to wonder about the rumors that say they practice child sacrifice and other horrific things.

When Marcus is healed of his wounds, he leaves the house of the Christians and goes back to his own with a confused heart. On one hand he has the proud Roman heritage of his people; on the other, this humble Christ is confounding all his ideas. When Marcus meets Paul the Apostle, he is finally able to come to faith in Christ, and he and Lygia are engaged.

While all this is happening in Marcus' life, the story also intercuts with Petronius' world in the court of Nero. Nero is a weak and cruel man, and as Petronius' more elegant ethic is replaced by that of his coarse rival, Tigellinus, events move toward Nero's infamous persecutions devised for the Christians in Rome.

Marcus must balance his love for Christ and Lygia with his role as a Roman lord, as Lygia is thrown in prison to await the arena with the other Christians. Although at first he is desperate to save her and himself from death, Marcus comes to realize that their fate is in the hands of God. The last hundred pages of the story are positively riveting as Nero's madness spirals downward and the persecutions begin in earnest. I have a friend who became so engrossed in the story that she actually began praying for the characters! The final few moments that determine the fate of Marcus and Lygia are heartstopping.

I won't spoil the ending for you, but this is an amazing book. It has a beautiful love story, world-shaking faith, and truly inspiring courage — what more can you ask of a novel? Petronius is one of my favorite characters; though he is unabashedly pagan, he behaves nobly and does all he can to save his nephew and Lygia from Nero's cruelties. The Apostles Peter and Paul also make an appearance, and they are well-drawn as well.

Sienkiewicz's narrative is full of action without sacrificing characterization or plot. The culture of the times is very well-written and believable. The language that the characters use is peppered with references to the Romans gods and legends, and is thoroughly enjoyable. And there is even some humor in the tale with the lying, cheating Greek Chilo Chilomedes. Highly, highly recommended.

Translation Note: Curtin's translation is a gem. I do not like the newer translation by W. S. Kuniczak; it's rather stilted in its "updated" language, and fails to render the memorable phrases that Curtin's unfaltering translation gives. show less

Quo Vadis is an historical novel centered on Rome in the time of Nero. It is first and foremost a love story between Roman Marcus Vinicius and Christian Lygia, but also provides a vivid depiction of the contrast between Roman corruption and debauchery and emerging Christian teachings.

Typically, I don’t enjoy books about the Roman Empire (or books this heavily steeped in religious philosophy) but this book was an exception. With a few exceptions (i.e. Lygia), historical characters are brought to life in a nuanced and complex way. The descriptions of the time period and excesses of Roman Empire were rich and painted a very vivid picture of important historical moments during the emergence of Christianity. Although I found that the book show more dragged at moments, I really enjoyed the book. It was heartbreaking and uplifting. show less

Quo Vadis may have taken me longer to read than any other book. I don’t blame the quality of the work as it was excellent. Instead, it was the format I selected for this particular reading.

I downloaded this edition from Project Gutenberg and read it on an iPad. The Gutenberg file was poorly translated and contained a number of editorial and spelling errors. These slowed me down a bit. What had the greatest impact, however, was reading on the iPad. There are simply too many distractions, with e-mail coming in and a web browser just a click away, to allow for dedicated concentration.

All that said, I really enjoyed Quo Vadis. I had been wanting to read some Polish literature for a while and this was my first selection. The translator of show more this edition, Jeremiah Curtin, did an excellent job. The story flowed well and the language was still rich and descriptive. The only slightly annoying nuance was their use of “in a twinkle” to mean quickly when it was used in conjunction with some violent act.

The story was fairly complex but can be broken down into a few main components:
The love between Lygia (a Christian) and Vinicius (a Roman tribune)
The resilience of the early Christians
The conversion of Vinicius to Christianity
The brutality and insanity of Nero

Reading this novel, it was sometimes difficult to remember that this was fiction written centuries after the setting of the story. The characters are so well created and the plot finely detailed that it almost seems to be a first-hand account of the action. I suppose this is the mark of a fine author.

The brutality of Nero and the Romans against the early Christians is the subject of many works. Quo Vadis provides a rather bloody and detailed account to what may have happened to some of them during the regular spectacles provided for the benefit of the Roman people. The dignity and grace with which they died became their hallmark and instilled more fear of them within the Romans.

Overall, this may be one of my favorite books of all time. I will, however, likely stick to actual paper and ink in the future as the electronic media doesn’t work well for me. show less

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. Truth lives somewhere so high that even the gods can't see it from Olympus."(QV, p. 566)

It is interesting to note that Pyrrho is noted for a philosophy of skepticism that claims the impossibility of knowledge. For him our own ignorance or doubt should induce us show more to withdraw into ourselves, avoiding the stress and emotion which belong to the contest of vain imaginings. This theory of the impossibility of knowledge suggests a sort of agnosticism and its ethical implications may be compared with the ideal tranquility of the Stoics and Epicureans (who were more popular among Romans). This certainly contrasts with the Christian spiritual view that emphasizes belief in the supernatural. It is a philosophy that, at least for Petronius, lets him face death unequivocally with a sort of stoicism that provides a potent example in opposition to the Christian view. It also is an example of the breadth of beliefs shown by Sienkiewicz in his portrayal of the culture and character of the Roman world.

This contrast of philosophies underlies the novel and made it more interesting to me than the simple love story that it also presents. In Quo Vadis we are presented with an historical novel of depth that shows us the corruption and depravity of Nero's Rome while it presents the worlds of aesthetics and skepticism represented by Petronius and that of the young Christian sect whose believers include Peter and Paul, of biblical fame, and Ligia, the barbarian princess who becomes the focus of young Vicinius' amour. It is perhaps not a coincidence that the nineteenth century had several writers (Bulwer-Lytton, Kingsley, and Wallace) including Sienkiewicz who reacted to the prevalence of anti-christian views among the romantics (Shelley, et. al.). This is seen in the pronounced admiration for the poor Christians and the sensational nature of the culmination of the story involving the Neronic destruction of many of the Christians in terrifically brutal games. In spite of this Sienkiewicz through vivid detail creates a believable historical setting for his love story; and overcoming his biased portrayal of the Christians and the contrast with the irrationality and evil of Nero, he succeeds in telling a moving and thoughtful portrayal of Rome in the first century A.D. show less

So here’s the canned book blurb: “Set in ancient Rome during the reign of the emperor Nero, Quo Vadis tells the story of the love that develops between Ligia, a young Christian woman and Marcus, a Roman officer who, after meeting her fellow Christians, converts to her religion. Underlying their relationship is the contrast between the worldly opulence of the Roman aristocracy and the poverty, simplicity, and spiritual power of the Christians.” Sounds rather tame, right? What this leaves out is Marcus’ kidnapping attempt on Ligia, the burning of Rome, the narcissism and cowardice of Nero, the work of the apostle Peter to convert Romans to Christianity, and the graphic descriptions of the torture and persecution of Christians and show more anyone perceived to be anti-Nero.

I will say that was an action packed read and having barely any knowledge of this period of time, because this novel was well researched and is seemingly accurate with the documented history of Nero’s reign, it was enlightening and interesting in that regard. Two main problems: Because of the blatant chauvinism displayed by Marcus and his kidnapping attempt, I could not buy into the relationship between Marcus and Ligia and was rooting for the opposite outcome during the entire book. 2nd problem: this novel was horrifically graphic and drawn out when it came to the inventive ways that Nero came up with to torture the Christians. Add to that the festive atmosphere these events took place in and the gleeful reaction of the Romans during these displays and you have a despicable show of humanity.

That being said I would call this an awful but good book. I would just recommend a lot of skimming of section 3. show less