(2022-08-21) Safranski Verissimus

MarkSafranski: my eclectic summer reading. First on deck is the graphic novel VERISSIMUS by DonaldJRobertson.

Setting the historical life and Stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius to comic book form

It was Emperor Hadrian’s shocking inability to control his terrible temper at court that was a factor in first turning young Marcus (then known as Verus) towards Stoicism

If Hadrian, an otherwise good man, could not restrain himself when holding absolute power? Could anyone?

Verissimus does not skimp on philosophy but it doesn’t interrupt the narrative, rather it’s integral to furthering it

Verissimus manages to appeal to three different readers - the history buff, the student of philosophy and the comic book geek- a difficult trifecta. And if you’re interested in a discussion Robertson’s use of sources that’s included in the appendix and afterword

It would be a good idea if more scholars used the graphic novel or other non-traditional formats to broaden their audience to people who might not take to a documentary or a dry non-fiction book. History and philosophy are both well suited to different modes of storytelling.