The Dedalus Book of Roman Decadence: Emperors of Debauchery

This volume collects the poetry and prose that served as the model and inspiration for so much of fin-de-siecle English and French writing, providing a vivid picture of sexual excess and debauchery in a cruel and violent society which has never ceased to fascinate the library and scholarly imagination of succeeding generations. The editor, novelist Geoffrey Farrington, provides a general introduction to the literary and political milieux of imperial Rome, and introductory notes to works by such authors as Ovid, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Juvenal.

"...concentrates on the outrageous behaviour of the ruling class of the Roman Empire, as described in passages selected from the prose, poetry and history of the period. Their murder plots, sexual deviances, orgies, cruelty and incessant intrigue put our politicians and their peccadillos on a play school level."
Time Out

Geoffrey Farrington was born in London in 1955. He has combined a career in the theatre with helping run the family business. He is currently working on his third novel. Geoffrey Farrington is both the author of The Acts of the Apostates (Dedalus 6.99), a historical novel about the Emperor Nero's last days and the editor of The Dedalus Book of Roman Decadence: Emperors of Debauchery (Dedalus 7.99).