Petronius
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| Petronius | |
|---|---|
| Born | ca. 27 CE |
| Died | ca.66 CE |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Notable work(s) | possibly Satyricon |
Gaius Petronius Arbiter (ca. 27–66) was a Roman courtier during the reign Nero. He is speculated to be the author of the Satyricon, a satirical novel believed to have been written during the Neronian age.
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[edit] Life
Tacitus, Plutarch and Pliny the Elder describe Petronius as the elegantiae arbiter, "judge of elegance" in the court of the emperor Nero. He was a member of the senatorial class who devoted himself to a life of pleasure, whose relationship to Nero was apparently akin to that of a fashion advisor. He served as consul in the year 62 AD. Tacitus records that he was eventually forced to commit suicide after being embarrassed in front of Nero.
None of the ancient sources give any further detail about his life, or mention that he was a writer. However a medieval manuscript, written c. 1450 AD, of the Satyricon credited a Titus Petronius as the author of the original work. Traditionally this is reference is linked with Petronius Arbiter, since the novel appears to have been written or at least set during his lifetime. The link, however, remains speculative and disputed.
[edit] In fiction
Petronius, usually assumed to be the author of the Satyricon, appears or is referenced in several works of fiction:
- Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel Quo Vadis and its adaptations (but see below for the film), where C. Petronius is the preferred courtier of Nero, using his wit to adulate and mock him at the same time. He is horrified at Nero's burning of Rome, and eventually commits suicide to escape both Nero's antics and his anticipated execution.
- in Robert A. Heinlein's novel The Door into Summer, in which the protagonist's cat is named "Petronius the Arbiter".
- in Jesse Browner's novel The Uncertain Hour, which recounts Petronius' final banquet and suicide (as told by Tacitus, Annals 16).
- in Anthony Burgess's novel The Kingdom of the Wicked, Gaius Petronius appears as a major character, an advisor to Nero.
- In the 1951 film of Quo Vadis, Petronius is portrayed by Leo Genn, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
- In the 2001 film of Quo Vadis, Petronius is portrayed by Boguslaw Linda. It was the first Polish adaptation of Sienkiewicz's novel.
In recent times, a popular quote on reorganization is often (but spuriously[1][2][3]) attributed to a Gaius Petronius. In one version, it reads:
We trained hard ... but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.
[edit] See also
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 Works at Domínio Público |
 Works at Dominio Público |
- Satyricon
- Supplements to the Satyricon
- Asteroid 3244 Petronius named after the satirist
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- ^ "Petronius Arbiter, Time Traveller". http://www.dtc.umn.edu/~reedsj/petronius.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ "ARTICLES FROM THE PETRONIAN SOCIETY NEWSLETTER". https://umdrive.memphis.edu/mhooker/psn_articles.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
- ^ "The Quotations Page". http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/25618.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
[edit] External links
- Works by Petronius at Project Gutenberg
- Latin text of the Satyricon from The Latin Library
