The Secret History

David Timson brings his rich talents and skills--a sonorous voice, rolling delivery, precise pronunciation, and clear understanding--to Procopius's scandalous insider look at the reign of Justinian and Theodora of Byzantium (527 to 565 CE). Procopius cannot say enough bad about the royal couple, along with their warlord, Belisarius, and his wife, accusing the emperor of remorseless greed, incompetence, and betrayal, and the women of witchcraft and nymphomania. Timson takes on the persona of Procopius--cynical but affronted, censorious and mocking--and delivers the text as HE might, sneering with disapproval and relishing payback but without overdoing the portrayal. His astute take on the author and his ability to embody him add a significant extra dimension to his fine rendering of this ancient tirade. W.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

June 10, 2024

Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500-565), a counselor, assessor, and secretary to the Roman general Belisarius, possessed a profound understanding of military affairs. Regarded as a preeminent historian of Emperor Justinian's wars, he stands as the paramount figure among later Greek historians. Though Procopius was considered a loyal Byzantine subject, this secret work reveals a different story. Here, Procopius unveils a tapestry of debauchery, avarice, brutality, moral bankruptcy, corruption, deceit, wholesale slaughter, spite, and cunning. The chronicle reveals impulsive murders, falsification of wills, and payment of tribute to purported "barbarians." Procopius contends that Justinian was more than a mere human, likening him to a force of pure malevolence. He posits that Justinian's inner circle was complicit in a range of unethical and brutal acts, painting a chilling portrait of an autocrat unbound by conventional constraints. David Timson's eloquent rendition in the quintessential Queen's English offers a pleasurable auditory experience, though his melodious tones are somewhat at odds with the subject material. VERDICT A powerful and captivating classical work, underscoring the timeless lesson that history's most brutal chapters have an uncanny knack for repetition.--Christa Van Herreweghe

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