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)

Detailed and Informative

The title is a little misleading in that I didn’t feel like it was on “how the world became modern” but more on how a poem withstood the impossible and made its way into the hands of intellectuals. I think to make it about how it affected the modern world, would have been to follow the path of the people who got their hands on it. The author did in the last chapter reference some influential people leaving more to the imagination and the possibilities to what came after these great minds read Lucretius’ “On the Nature of Things” but it was in short supply. There were parts that were compelling and interesting and then there were sections that felt tedious. Overall, the subject itself and the items used to back that thought process up are interesting and those ideas very well articulated and left me wanting more Lucretius and Epicurus.

ideas are powerful tools in shaping the world.

A truly moving account on the pursuit of knowledge and the far reaching resonances such peregrinations create for the human experience. simply stunning.

Wish there were more philosophy, Less Biography.

I suppose having context is important. The book is ostensibly about a philosophy based on an ancient poem by Lucretius. I was very surprised to find that way back when it was written, Lucretius was talking about everything in the universe being composed of atoms and the voids between them. I thought this was a very modern concept. But with atoms being the basic content and texture of everything, he suggests that the soul dies with the individual, and the atoms go on to recombine in new configurations. Thus, one should embrace the one life they are given on this planet, because it's all you'll get, and all you can expect.

The book contains lots of interesting interpretation on this thought, and the opposition by the church. Particularly during the Inquisition.

Where the book falls flat for me is the extensive biography of Poggio Bracciolini, who rediscovered the poem while searching ancient texts. Maybe I would have been happier if there was some passing mention of this character, rather than dedicating what seemed like nearly half the text to him.

Overall, the book is beautifully written, and sheds a lot of wonderful historical light. The historical and philosophical aspects are insightful and interesting. The biographical aspects? Not so much.

Well narrated, and definitely worth a listen. It's just that all the minute detail about Poggio Bracciolini got old early on, and then became tedious. Once a context was established indicating how we still have these texts and concepts to ponder, I didn't think the biographical story added anything more.

Atheist polemic became annoying

The story was mildly interesting. The authors worship of Lucretius and his poem and caricature of Christianity was too much and detracted from the overall work.

A great history lesson that devolves into an anti-sermon

A great history lesson that devolves into an anti-sermon.

What does that mean?

We are completely immerse in our western history, particularly Roman Catholic History, with extreme detail. It's all jaw dropping stuff until his conclusions. these are sadly from the point of view of someone who as a humanist turns his findings into a case against religion. The author tells us to open our minds to escape our beliefs but only to encase us again in his own humanist evangelism, which is still a belief and in the end no less a religion.

Fascinating Story - Amazing Narration

I purchased this book quite some time ago. I started to read it then, but put it aside because at the time I wasn't up for the level of attention it clearly required. I recently picked it up and this time I made it through. I am very glad I did.

The focus of the book is on the rediscovery of an ancient poem "On the Nature of Things" by Lucretius, and the impact that rediscovery had on the swerve towards modernity and the beginning of the Renaissance. The poem, which stems from the author's devotion to the beliefs and ideals of Epicurianism, was written almost 2100 years ago and was rediscovered by a priest on a mission almost 600 years ago.

I admit I have never made it through an entire translation of "On the Nature of Things" and since I don't read classical Latin I will never tackle the original. But I have read substantial portions and have found them both lyrical, perceptive and surprisingly modern. I was interested in learning about how the poem was viewed within the context of the time of its rediscovery.

I think it is far fetched to give this rediscovery alone so much credit for swerving western civilization into the modern world. But I do agree it is one of the important factors. Greenblatt used this event as a launching point to explore several of these events and factors and the key participants at the time. The portions of the book that focused on the time period, the people and leaders who lived through them and especially the martyrs created by a church desperate to avoid any thoughts or ideas that did not mesh neatly with their doctrine, were fascinating. Much of this information wasn't new, but Greenblatt is quite a story teller. Large sections of the book were real page-turners. And it is rare to find a non-fiction book about a 2000 year old poem written to honor one of the fringe philosophical movements of the time, that was rediscovered by a Catholic priest about 1600 years later after being long forgotten and buried in a monastery, that could achieve "page-turner" status.

I highly recommend this book. And I highly recommend it be listened to. Edoardo Ballerini is one of my favorite narrators and he does an outstanding job on this book. His narration is what moves this from a four star to a five star.

Great Book

Would you listen to The Swerve again? Why?

I've listen to Swerve twice; I even bought the hard copy of the book.

What about Edoardo Ballerini’s performance did you like?

Great voice; keeps you captivated and interested.

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

Yes, I even had my friends listen to certain parts.

Any additional comments?

Great Book, time well spent.

Logical Leap

Generally well-read, it was sometimes hard to tell who was speaking. I was left unconvinced that this one book significantly changed the course of history. Interesting story, though.

A fabulous listen

The tale narrated by Edoardo Bellerini is based on the somewhat audacious premise that an ancient poem, "The Nature of Things", rediscovered in the fourteen hundreds, tipped the waiting world into the Renaissance, ending the so-called Dark Ages. That hypothesis is, at the very least, a bit overblown. However, the author's account of the search for lost literary works of ancient Greece and Rome gives us a fascinating look into the flower - and ultimate downfall - of these great civilizations. I marveled at the perseverance of the Medieval scholar, Poggio Bracciolini, who found himself out of work after the dethroning and eventual execution of his employer, Pope John the 23rd. (No relation to the modern Pope of the same name...) Bracciolini set out on a journey that took him to England and across much of Europe, lead by tantalizing hints of the Great Poem's existence somewhere in an unknown archive - perhaps a monastery...

Edoardo Bellerini reads "The Swerve" with passion and style - perfect for this work. I'm already looking for another read by him.

I highly recommend, "The Swerve". Maybe "The Nature of Things" didn't actually bring us into the Modern Era. On the other hand, the great scholars who were motivated to retrieve it certainly kept the spirit of inquiry and the love of reading alive during an aptly described time of great cultural and societal darkness.

An Interesting Dive into History

The author crafted a very interesting story around a humanist "book hunter," not only revealing how ancient books doomed to obscurity and likely dissolution were reintroduced to society 500+ years after their writing, but also providing insight into the 15th century thinking, the inner workings of the Vatican, as well how cities like Rome and Venice function. An informative and intriguing means of delivering a history lesson. The narrator was ideal for reading, keeping the story moving, speaking with just the right inflection and clarity.