The Swerve by Greenblatt, Stephen. (W. W. Norton & Company,2012) [Paperback] Unknown Binding

Stephen Greenblatt tells what was at the time of publishing the little-known story of the impact of the 15th century rediscovery of De Rerum Natura ("On the Nature of Things) by Lucretius.In a style that is elegant yet never pretentious, Greenblatt effortlessly moves us back and forth in time between several different periods, from the dawn of Epicureanism, to the height of Roman intellectual life a the end of the Republic, to the long centuries of unchanging medieval monastic life, to the heady days at the dawn of the Renaissance.Through it all, he makes us care about his flawed but passionate protagonist, Poggio Bracciolini, the book hunter who saved a masterpiece from oblivion and unwittingly changed the course of Western thought forever.

Wow ! I was struck by the intellect of the author immediately! The difficulty of interweaving history , in story telling is compounded and over come by his marvelous ability to envision dress, culture, ideas, and goals all happening thru time while giving background and ... it’s amazing . Readers often envision themselves in the story beside the character I am sure, as I do! Actually I caught my breath, more than once as I realized the magnificence of this author’s writing! Wow!