When picturing a witty read, a biography is not typically what comes to mind. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting when I sat down to read Anthony Everitt’s third book, Augustus. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when what I had anticipated being a heavily loaded piece, groaning with the weight of statistics, turned out to be a detailed and lyrical account of the events of a beloved public figure’s life.

The deliberate nature of Everitt’s craft leaves no doubt in mind that a biography is what he writes - but what strikes me in its uniqueness is the tone of sarcasm he employs when it suits his ends, and the narrative quality that permeates the events of two-thousand years ago and brings them into the world of today. Rather than stating the facts of Augustus’ lifetime with no break in evidence and numbers, Everitt relays a wide spectrum of events - beginning at the end - that come together to influence and steer the second Caesar on his path to deity. Drama and humour - along with crude sexual commentary - provide a relatable link to the man whose life we have been graciously allowed to enter through the knowledgeable and confident voice of an expert in his trade.

With well-timed and supportive sprinklings of historic fact and fiction, Augustus flows like a novel through the movements of a biography while carrying a clever flair not often associated with its genre.

“Have I played my part in the farce of life well enough?”

Yes, Augustus, Everitt would say; “Shipwrecks, human sacrifice, hairbreadth escapes, unbridled sex, battles on land and at sea, ambushes, family scandals, and above all the unforgiving pursuit of absolute power - Augustus lived out an extraordinary and often terrifying drama.”

“My hope is to make Augustus come alive.”