The Roman - Misplaced Pages

1964 novel by Mika Waltari For the fictional mobster, see Carmine Falcone.

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The Roman
First UK edition (publ. Hodder & Stoughton, 1966)
Author	Mika Waltari
Original title	Ihmiskunnan viholliset
Genre	Historical novel
Publisher	WSOY
Publication date	1964
Publication place	Finland
Preceded by	The Secret of the Kingdom

The Roman (original title Ihmiskunnan viholliset, which translates to Mankind's Enemies) is a novel by Mika Waltari published in 1964, and was the last work of Waltari to be published during his lifetime. Set in Rome, the book is a sequel to The Secret of the Kingdom, a novel about the early days of Christianity. The protagonist and narrator is Minutus, the son of Marcus, the main character of the previous novel. Minutus is a Roman citizen striving to survive without political entanglements.

In the novel, Minutus travels from Corinth to Britain, to Rome and then to Jerusalem. Through a boyhood friendship with Nero, he becomes a sometimes advisor, sometimes a tool, and sometimes a fool of the capricious emperor. A cruel fate makes him the commander of the menagerie that supplied the wild animals that tore his firstborn son to pieces, and the book was ostensibly written as a guide for his second son, great-grandson of the Emperor Claudius.

Plagiarism of the novel

In July 2008, news emerged that the novel had been plagiarized by television producer Colin Slater (Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe In Santa) in his novel Lindum Colonia, published in 2003.

References

""Waltari-roman plagierades i USA" (24.7.2008)" (in Swedish). Svenska.yle.fi. 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2012-08-04.

Works by Mika Waltari

Novels

Historical series	The Egyptian The Adventurer The Wanderer The Dark Angel The Etruscan The Secret of the Kingdom The Roman
Inspector Palmu	Who Murdered Mrs. Skrof? Inspector Palmu's Mistake It is Written in the Stars, Inspector Palmu!
Other	The Grand Illusion A Lonely Man's Train The Orange Pip City of Sorrow and Joy A Stranger Came to the Farm Catherine From Father to Son Love in Times of War Dance Over the Tombstones A Nail Merchant at Nightfall Moonscape and Other Stories The Tongue of Fire

Miscellaneous

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