Classic Chats: Robert Harris on ‘Agrippa’

Marcus Agrippa, the enigmatic Roman statesman and military commander, serves as the central subject of Robert Harris’s latest historical novel, *Agrippa*. The narrative explores the complex, lifelong partnership between Agrippa and Augustus, challenging the historical erasure of Agrippa’s contributions to the rise of the Roman Empire. Harris utilizes a first-person perspective to grant a voice to this historically voiceless figure, framing the relationship as a high-stakes political alliance defined by mutual dependence and underlying resentment. The discussion highlights how the brutal realities of Roman civil war and power dynamics parallel modern political partnerships, while also addressing the creative license required to reconcile historical gaps, such as the discrepancy between Augustus’s idealized iconography and his reported physical appearance. By grounding fiction in rigorous research, the novel reclaims a pivotal, often overlooked, architect of the Augustan age.