Spurius: A Novel

It is a perilous time for the Roman Republic. Victory over her nemesis Hannibal in the Second Punic War and the subsequent conquest of Greece have led to widespread debauchery and mayhem on the Italian peninsula. Into the breach steps Spurius Postumius Albinus, Consul of Rome in 186 BC, who turns detective to investigate a series of crimes attributed to the cult of the wine god Bacchus that, he argues, threaten the very heart of the State.

Based on events recorded by the Roman historian Livy and confirmed by a surviving bronze plaque in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, Spurius is at once an ancient political whodunit and the first major treatment of a cataclysmic event in Roman history: according to Livy, some 3,500 Romans perished in the witch hunts resulting from Spurius’ investigation. In its finely balanced examination of freedom of belief and expression, and the manipulation of truth in times of national emergency, the novel has great relevance to today’s troubled world.

Kulturalis’s edition of Spurius gives the novel a striking and luxurious new treatment. Renowned Argentinian-born illustrator Jorge González’s vivid images – including full-page and double-page illustrations within the text and an arresting slipcase design – brings the graphic events of the novel to life. Based in Madrid, González previously illustrated the edition of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies published by Los Libros del Zorro Rojo and The Folio Society’s edition of Carlos Ruíz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind. Working hand-in-glove with González through Maria Cardelli’s IllustrationZone is award-winning hand-lettering artist Ruth Rowland who has designed album covers for Elton John, Kate Bush and Cliff Richard.