The Swerve

How the World Became Modern

By: Stephen Greenblatt

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, General Nonfiction, 2012

National Book Award, Nonfiction, 2012

Renowned historian Stephen Greenblatt’s works shoot to the top of the New York Times best-seller list. With The Swerve, Greenblatt transports listeners to the dawn of the Renaissance and chronicles the life of an intrepid book lover who rescued the Roman philosophical text On the Nature of Things from certain oblivion.

Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late 30s took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic by Lucretius—a beautiful poem containing the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion, colliding and swerving in new directions.

The copying and translation of this ancient book—the greatest discovery of the greatest book-hunter of his age—fueled the Renaissance, inspiring artists such as Botticelli and thinkers such as Giordano Bruno; shaped the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein; and had a revolutionary influence on writers such as Montaigne and Shakespeare, and even Thomas Jefferson.

©2011 Stephen Greenblatt (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"More wonderfully illuminating Renaissance history from a master scholar and historian." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"In this gloriously learned page-turner, both biography and intellectual history, Harvard Shakespearean scholar Greenblatt turns his attention to the front end of the Renaissance as the origin of Western culture's foundation: the free questioning of truth." ( Publishers Weekly)

“Pleasure may or may not be the true end of life, but for book lovers, few experiences can match the intellectual-aesthetic enjoyment delivered by a well-wrought book. In the world of serious nonfiction, Stephen Greenblatt is a pleasure maker without peer.” ( Newsday)

Best book report I have ever experienced, incredib

le.

Had no expectations about this book, Just picked it from a list, and boy... I've hit a jackpot

Truths, history, intrigue and more in "in your face, no bullshit" style, while maintaining class and elegance.
Such depth and knowledge, I am heartbroken and as an addict wishing for another hit.

Exploration of ancient history, through middle (very dark) ages until modern times of the book that probably is responsible for the Renaissance, single handed.

Could not recommend it more. I has set me on the path, for more knowledge of Epicurus, Montanya and Shakespeare.

Believers in God (s) beware some hard truths here for you.

Mixed results - great history, too much other

This book is very interesting, and also hard to review. The historical content about On The Nature of Things by Lucretius is very good and well researched. However, it is also a very small part of the book. Most of the book is about the person that re-discover the poem - Poggio Bracciolini. While I find some of the information about Poggio interesting, it has less to do with the thesis by Greenblatt on the poems influence on the Renaissance.

It is very clear that Greenblatt has a great deal of admiration and respect for Poggio, and that he values his contribution in finding On The Nature of Things greatly. However, the act of discovery is only a small part of the book. He spends a great deal telling us of how Poggio became who he was, what circles he traveled in, how his employer the Pope lost his job, how he eventually made his own way, and eventually how he retired.

I very much enjoyed the information around Lucretius' poem, but thought the material about Poggio was just too much.

The Swerve

Would you consider the audio edition of The Swerve to be better than the print version?

I do not think I will rate one better than the other, rather I would rate either media as a great bit of history to either listen to or read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Swerve?

Poggio reaching out to the shelf and taking down this old manuscript.

What does Edoardo Ballerini bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His Italian background.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

A sense all the way through the history that we today are connected to a time almost 2000 years ago where the subject under discussion is a reality in our everyday world and we still struggle with those concepts.

Any additional comments?

What a profound impact this poem had on the lives of many people and that they were reading this, and discussing the concepts, at great risk to themselves.

Long Live Freedom of Speech!

Educational and excellently researched this book tells a story every young scholar has to know. Poem = Idea = Speech = Endangered Concept = Someone Has To Stand Up and Save It. Nothing changed since the human history began.

Amazing

The backstory was a bit too detailed in my opinion, but the discussions of Epicurean "atoms and void" were masterful. Only wish there were more included. Great book! Well worth the listen.

A Story New to Me

If you are expecting a fast-paced book, turn back now. This book brings you through an intricately woven story of the rediscovery of the epicurean tradition during the early renaissance and the attempts to crush and discredit a work that set people alight with intellectual desire. The book, The Nature of Things, challenged precepts of faith and sparked changes that eventually would overtake the world. I now have to read that poetic work!

Great ! a must read. !I listened twice !

the narrator was excellent .the story fantastic !my next one will be "on the nature of things" I need to go deeper !

Fantastic, a true eye opener

What did you love best about The Swerve?

it gave me a new perspective on history and how important it is to learn from it.

required reading

I really enjoyed this book and I loved how different threads in history have been woven together to form the modern times we live in. I found the connection to Thomas Jefferson enlightening as well.

A beautiful and balanced book

Excellent account for the understanding of humanism, the Renaissance and beyond. Highly recommended. Should be required reading in schools.