A mythical novel against slavery written from prison

Howard Fast (1914-2003) wrote Spartacus in 1951 from prison. He was serving a sentence for refusing to reveal information about his comrades in the Anti-Fascist Refugee Aid Committee during the Civil War. Thanks to the publisher L'Agulla Daurada and translator Lola Fígols, we can now read the novel in Catalan for the first time. A book that, despite its 450 pages, resonates with us thanks to (or because of) the film adaptation made by Stanley Kubrick in 1960, which we've been reading every week.

Between historical rigor and revolutionary spirit, Spartacus It tells the story of a slave gladiator who sparks an unprecedented revolt that marks the end of the Roman Republic. With a timely political message that questions slavery, power, and the eternal struggle for freedom, Howard Fast's novel was rejected by publishers—who didn't want to get involved with the publication of a Jewish-American author of Ukrainian descent committed to the society of his time and to minority rights. 45,000 copies of the hardcover edition were sold, surpassing several million after being translated into 56 languages.

The novel begins shortly after the Third Servile War. Three young Roman patricians, Gai Cras, his sister Helena, and their friend Claudia, embark on a journey from Rome to Capua along the Appian Way. Along the way, they see the visible remains of Roman punishment: crucified slaves, a symbol of the insurgents' defeat. On the first day of the trip, the group encounters characters representing various strata of Roman society (politicians, merchants, officials, etc.), all of whom have different opinions on slavery. At night, settled into a luxurious farmhouse, they meet with real historical figures and fictional ones connected to the conflict. They have long conversations about the war and, once again, the role of slavery in the structure of the Roman Republic, a theme that triggers the flashback about the adventures of the great Spartacus, who, despite his good intentions to restore freedom to the people, ends up dying. The novel ends in the narrative present, with the Romans dealing with the political and ethical consequences of the war.

Spartacus It explains the adventures of the eponymous slave in Ancient Rome. It reconstructs the story and life of the hero, set in the year 76 BC. The book is narrated from the distant perspective of Roman aristocrats such as Crassus and Gracchus, but also from the point of view of the slaves in the present tense. Fast's novel reflects on freedom and hope as essential concepts of human survival. While it is true that the book has been criticized as propaganda disguised as historical fiction, Fast avoids epic poetry as much as possible and focuses on the psychology of the characters, emphasizing aspects such as the psychology of the dominator, the privileged. This narrative style, based on a fragmentary, unhurried structure, is reminiscent of a play constructed from dialogues, opinions, and linked scenes. At the same time, it is also very relevant in terms of the theme of slavery, which currently presents itself in various guises but unfortunately still exists everywhere.