Summary of The Death of Virgil
The historical novel “The Death of Virgil” recounts the final hours of the Roman poet Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro) in the port of Brundisium (Brindisi) in 19 BC. As he lies dying, Virgil reflects on his life, his art, and the purpose of poetry. Troubled by the realisation that his masterpiece, the Aeneid, may serve to glorify autocratic imperial power rather than embody true poetic beauty, he resolves to have it destroyed.
Reasons to read The Death of Virgil
“The Death of Virgil” is a demanding yet rewarding philosophical work. Written largely as an interior monologue, it employs stream-of-consciousness techniques, interwoven with mystical visions and hallucinations experienced by the dying poet. Hermann Broch, an Austrian modernist writer, is also renowned for his trilogy “The Sleepwalkers”, and is widely regarded as one of the major literary figures of the twentieth century.
Original title: Der Tod des Vergil
Year of publication: 1945
Nr of pages: 496
