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)

Edutainment

This book could have been a pamphlet. This guy lucretius thought up atoms. This other guy from rome found a copy of lucretius' book about atoms. The ideas in it get a few people burned at the stake and make the church very angry. However, once the idea takes hold, it slowly grows and becomes a foundational part of modern science.

The rest of the book is everything that happened in between. The narrator has a good voice. It kept me reasonably entertained while working at amazon.

Excellent story and superb narration

Swerve was lucid and interesting history, moving seamlessly around a 1,500 year timeframe. I was especially drawn in by the excellent narration - it did the work justice.

Unexpected Delight

Book was on deal of day and I purchased because of ratings and reviews. I did not think I would like, but it was so well written and so well read that I truly enjoyed. Lots of information and lots of history, but moves along well, has requires thought and reflection. I would recommend even to us who usually avoid this material

Very thought provoking.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Anyone interested in history, science and relegion should enjoy this book.

What other book might you compare The Swerve to and why?

Can't think of one.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed learning about the important position of a Scribe during those times.

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

Learning about the philosophy of Epicuras as it pertains to this world and after death.

Fascinating

As they further decipher the Pompeii scrolls today with x-rays this story remains fresh and fascinating. Well with the time.

Tour de force

If you could sum up The Swerve in three words, what would they be?

Readable, interesting, Revealing

What did you like best about this story?

The Story-telling, unfolding of the discovery of the poem by this "book-hunter" of the early Renaissance

Which scene was your favorite?

The reference to the Declaration of Independence

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

Listening to the Swerve even better than reading it

Love the Swerve - well written and well read. Read it years ago and love it even more after listening to it. This book changed my life.

Hard to Keep Your Eye on the Road

I'm of two minds about this unusual book. On the one hand, it is a fascinating story about a book hunter and the extraordinary work he saves from near extinction. On the other hand, it's a history and commentary on the pre-Renaissance Western world. An interview with Stephen Greenblatt on NPR led me to expect the first subject; I didn't so much anticipate tackling the other.

Don't get me wrong -- the historical details are most interesting. There's eye-opening detail about the miseries perpetrated in the name of religion; one can feel the political and physical dangers of the times. I'm just saying there was so much digression from the story of Lucretius' book and the search that uncovered it that I had to take a few lengthy breaks from the listen.

I believe I was confounded partly by the narration. Mr. Ballerini's voice drones on in the manner of a sadly disappointed parent lecturing a misbehaving child. It's not an unpleasant voice, but it never varies from a rather sing-song tone, and it lacks enthusiasm.

On the whole, this is an extremely intelligent work of obviously rigorous research. There's much here for even the casual fan of history. So, I'd recommend it -- just take it easy, don't beat yourself up if you need a few breaks, and keep returning!

Superb

Stephen Greenblatt is one of the few academics who writes beautiful prose. This book showcases the elegant, engaging style that makes his work appealing to non-experts as well. In this book, Greenblatt takes what should be an obscure subject - the reception of Lucretius's De Rerum Natura in the Rensaissance - and uses it as a springboard for explaining how the world was changed by the rediscovery of the Greek and Roman classics. While I knew in an abstract sense that this rediscovery defined the Renaissance, Greenblatt's focus on the personal experience of the scholars who hunted for forgotten texts brings the idea to life vividly, and he carefully structures the book so that we can understand how startling and compelling Lucretius's ideas must have seemed to a person of that age.

This is a tour de force and not to be missed. The reader is brilliant, with a great command of Italian pronunciation.

Strange choice of title, but a great read

I've always wanted to know more about how ancient writings come down to us. There's a lot of detail about manuscripts and how long they last, and how little actually dates back to ancient times. I found it very interesting. The story of Poggio Bracciolini, the renaissance book hunter is also interesting. The author writes in wonderful prose. The reader compliments it nicely. If you like ancient/Roman/European history, this book is an entertaining overview.