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From Western civilization’s greatest empire came history’s most gifted and accomplished man. Emerging from a society populated by powerful men with great ambitions, against a backdrop of social change and political upheaval, one man stood as a giant among men. Almost more than a man, he was an irresistible force of nature. “Imperator – The Life of Gaius Julius Caesar” by Philip Katz is a fictional recreation of the life of the greatest of all Romans, Gaius Julius Caesar. It is a personal memoir, the inside story of his world as viewed through his eyes, written in the first person, suppressed by Caesar’s successors, only to be rediscovered in modern times. Born to one of Rome’s most prestigious families, Caesar went on to conquer all of Western Europe in the name of Rome. He then conquered Rome to liberate his countrymen from a corrupt Senate.

Caesar’s energy, intellect, and desire for achievement brought him the jealousy and animosity of his peers along with enormous political opposition. Ultimately, his fight against the corrupt, political establishment and his quest for a more sustainable society brought him into direct conflict with the ruling class of Rome. Gaius Julius Caesar begins writing his life story on the heels of the Alexandrian war while spending some time on the Nile in the company of Cleopatra, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt, reflecting on the halcyon days of his childhood that quickly gave way to smoldering hostilities between the great men of the state, followed by the burst into the conflagration of civil war.

The lack of information about Caesar’s early life makes these formative years of particular importanceto the narrative as his character and motivations are placed in the context of recorded history. The reader is invited to step back two thousand years to witness the collapse of the Republic that subjugated the entire Mediterranean world but could not govern itself.

With “Imperator – The Life of Gaius Julius Caesar” author Philip Katz creates an atmosphere in which ancient Rome comes back to life, seen through the eyes of the man who was the principle instrument of fortune and change, Gaius Julius Caesar.

Reviews

Author Philip Katz set out to write “Imperator” because he felt he could bring a unique layman’s point of view to the subject of Gaius Julius Caesar and the fall of the Roman Republic, free from the traditional dogmatic approach taken by the academic community. In addition, he believes the tale of the fall of the Roman Republic is a timely and relevant, cautionary tale for the 21st century America.

In his own words, “It is far too simplistic to attribute Caesar’s vast accomplishments to ambition and lust for absolute power alone. While Caesar was referred to commonly as tyrant and was allegedly assassinated for the same reason, Caesar never altered the Republican form of government, which he is accused of destroying. Closer examination of the facts presented in the extant sources only make sense when seen in context of an extremely complex personality capable of great compassion for individuals and what was seemingly cold disregard for the lives of millions. In the pages of Imperator a character comes into focus from the extant documents of the period taking into account just how subjective these accounts were. In fact, most of the sources for the period, with the notable exception of Caesar’s own writings and those of the orator Cicero, were written many years after the time of Caesar and were written by those opposed to the factions to whom Caesar belonged. The story of Caesar must be viewed within the context of the unique time in which he lived and the unique situation into which he was born.”

“Imperator – The Life of Gaius Julius Caesar” is a fictional recreation of the life of the greatest of all Romans.

In present days’ Rome, namely at the Bibliotheca Casanatense, the senior curator, accompanied by a team of scientists and students, receives the first of ten volumes representing the personal memoir of Julius Caesar, which were suppressed by Caesar’s successors. The volumes were kept and protected by Ethiopa’s Jewish community, the Beta Israel, for over two thousand years until a time when a publication was deemed safe.

“Imperator” by Philip Katz represents this first volume, and it covers Caesar’s early years, reflecting on the golden days of his childhood that quickly gave way to hostilities between the great men of the state, followed by blaze of civil war. Reading “Imperator” made me feel and live the atmosphere of ancient Rome, and understanding the Gaius Julius Caesar as Katz envisions him.

Katz has invested some substantial research and passion into the subject of the otherwise sparsely recorded history of Caesar’s childhood, and it reflects in the details of his writing. “Imperator” is a must-read for everybody interested in Roman history.

- Wilfried F. Voss, Author of  The Bleeding Hills

For more than a year I have caught glimpses of Philip Katz’s book: Imperator, The Life of Gaius Julius Caesar, as he launched chapter after chapter onto Scribd. I devoured each in absolute awe of anyone who could absorb history in such fine detail and then turn it around and personalize it in such a way, that you could actually believe Caesar himself to be the author. Now, the book is out in hardcover and I am no less impressed by Mr. Katz’s ability to reveal his strengths as an author. The book begins just so: I Gaius Julius Caesar, Imperator, Pontifex, Maximus, Dictator, Perpetvo, Conqueror of Gaul, Descendent of the Goddess Venus, and Anchises of Troy, do now commence to relay to posterity the events of my life as I recollect them. And so he does. Katz starts in Caesar’s childhood, introduces us to life in the suburba, gives us a taste of his family and culture. He then captures the brutality of war, the conundrums of politics and the sense of history this man was making. (But not before indulging us in a brief chapter set in modern day when this memoir is revealed to scholars for the first time.) To do this by rewriting other works is one thing. To personalize it as if writing a real diary is an amazing feat all together. The bibliography, Appendix and Glossary are filled to the brim. It is simply so impressive how Philip Katz not only took on this topic, but made it his own through an enormous amount of hard work and hard writing. He is to be applauded for creating “A Fictional Recreation of the Life of the Greatest of All Romans.”

- Laura Novak, Amazon.Com Customer Review

Philip Katz has brought the most famous of all Romans alive again with his fictional novel Imperator..Gaius Julius Caesar travels the streets of Rome as a young man..You will feel drawn into Caesar’s early life as you read the pages of this well written book..

Extensive writer research is evident and makes young Caesar’s early life believable..Readers feel they are reliving actual history and can hear the chariots rumble in the streets of Rome..You are quickly brought into the realm of Rome both from a political and historical standpoint.

Imperator is a very well written book and is both intriguing and captivating to the reader. From start to finish Katz keeps the reader wanting to know more and more about the thoughts and actions of this famous Roman.

- Creative, Amazon.Com Customer Review

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