A story written completely in verse, liberally sprinkled with Latin
vocabulary, sounds like a recipe for terminal boredom. Far from it.
This is an intoxicating, outrageous romp through London in the
second century AD, and the frantic pace will leave you breathless
but panting for more. Evaristo is an established poet, and her
debut verse novel, Lara, scooped her the EMMA best book award in
1999. She returns to the genre with a vengeance in her latest book,
which was inspired by her research into the history of Roman
London. When she discovered black Africans formed a substantial
minority of the London population, the idea for her feisty Sudanese
heroine was born. Zuleika is a streetwise young urchin at the start
of the book, rollicking round London with her mates Alba and the
transvestite Venus (nee Rufus). Her wild-oat-sowing days are soon
cut short, however, when she is married off to the ponderous but
wealthy Felix who leaves her to mooch around his expensive villa,
bored and frustrated, while he travels the globe on interminable
business ventures. Writing poetry, entertaining her parents and
vile young brother, and sneaking out with Alba and Venus all help
to pass the time, until the day she is spotted at the theatre by
the Roman Emperor himself, Septimius Severus. They embark upon a
passionate affair which can only end in disaster. This is a
thoroughly modern rendering of an ancient tale and one of the
book's fascinations is spotting the hundreds of modern references
that strew its pages. A flower shop is called Wild@Heart; a local
protest poet bears the name Manumittio X; even lyrics from West
Side Story pop up ('There's a place for us/Somewhere a place for
us'). Reading The Emperor's Babe is as exhilarating as a cold
shower - Latin has never been so much fun! (Kirkus UK)
Meet Zuleika: sassy girl about town, hellraiser, bored ex-child-bride in Londinium, AD 211. In the place (and time) to be ...
Through the bustling, hustling city, we follow Zuleika, feisty and precocious daughter of Sudanese immigrants. Married off to a rich, fat, absent Roman, she is stranded in luxurious neglect, until, one day the Emperor himself, comes to town, bringing with him not just love - but danger ...
Funky and funny, sexy and moving, this novel in verse is a triumph of imaginative writing - and of sheer lyrical and emotional vitality.
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