Pride of Carthage is a 2005 novel about the
Second Punic War by American author
David Anthony Durham.[1] It was first published by
Doubleday, in the United States, 2005. The book was translated into Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.
Plot summary
The novel is a retelling of the assault on the
Roman Republic by the Carthaginian general
Hannibal. It begins in
Ancient Spain, where Hannibal sets out with tens of thousands of soldiers and 30 elephants. After conquering the Roman-allied city of
Saguntum, Hannibal accepts Rome's declaration of war. He befriends peoples disillusioned by Rome and outwits the opponents who believe the land route he has chosen is impossible. Hannibal's troops suffer brutal losses as they pass through the
Pyrenees Mountains, ford the
Rhone River, and make a winter crossing of the
Alps, before descending to fight battles at the
TrebiaRiver,
Lake Trasimene,
Cannae and
Zama. The novel ends roughly where the war ends, although Hannibal lived on for some years as both a political figure and a
mercenary soldier.
The novel features a wide cast of characters of many nationalities, from famous generals down to infantrymen and camp followers, from
Numidians to
Macedonians. Durham draws a complex portrait of Hannibal, both as a warrior and as a husband and father.
For reviews see: Black Issues Book Review (January–February 2005), The Christian Science Monitor (January 11, 2005), The
New York Times Book Review (February 6, 2005), The
San Francisco Chronicle (February 13, 2005), “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio (February 15, 2005), The News and Observer (February 20, 2005),
The Washington Post (March 30, 2005).
Hoyos, Dexter: Hannibal's Dynasty: Power and Politics in the Western Mediterranean, 247–183 B.C. (Routledge: London & New York, 2003; paperback edition with maps, 2005) - has much discussion of strategy and warfare.
Livy, and De Selincourt, Aubery, The War with Hannibal: Books XXI-XXX of the History of Rome from its Foundation, Penguin Classics, Reprint edition, July 30, 1965,
ISBN0-14-044145-X (pbk)(also
[1][permanent dead link])
Prevas, John, Hannibal Crosses the Alps: The Invasion of Italy and the Second Punic War, 2001,
ISBN0-306-81070-0, questions which route he took