Stefano Conti

historical essays and detective novels

Stefano Conti is a man of distinct ways, of unusual and rare kindness, which I had the great pleasure of knowing personally. Author of essays published during the years of university teaching as professor of Roman History and Latin Epigraphy at the University of Siena, in 2017 he made his debut with the first novel, precisely I am the emperor, published by elective affinities and already in the third edition .

His passion for the figure of the Roman emperor Julian, who has accompanied him for many years, offered him a fascinating subject around which to build a beautiful and engaging story, which can be read easily despite the numerous historical-literary elements that dot the storytelling.

An archaeological mystery

I am the emperor could be called an "archaeological mystery" in which history merges with a plot full of unexpected surprises. It all starts in Tarsus, Turkey, in the summer of 2010: thanks to his excavations, a university professor discovers the tomb of the philosopher emperor, Julian the Apostate, whom many before him had searched in vain. But ... alas! The tomb is empty and the archaeologist, Professor Barbarino, is found dead immediately after the exhilarating discovery.

How did he die? He's been killed? And where are the remains of Emperor Julian?

One of his dearest students is appointed to bring Barbarino's body back to Italy: Francesco Speri. By now Francesco is a bank employee, but his love for ancient history and his bond with the professor have never waned.

In reality he is the protagonist of the novel: immersed in this mystery he is forced, in order to be able to solve it, to investigate and decipher the clues one after the other, and to navigate between codes and ancient sites.

To understand what escapes him on the end of his professor and on the unobtainable remains of Giuliano, Francesco returns to Turkey where he also begins a complicated and sudden love affair with Chiara. The woman who first pulls him out of a problem at the airport, and then proves to be a valuable helper.

"Hic Julianus fuit": this is the inscription that our banker finds in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. But, precisely, "fuit" not "east", therefore the body of the Emperor, who was once there, was transferred elsewhere. But where?

Giuliano died way back in 363 AD, when, during the battle between Romans and Persians, a javelin pierced his abdomen. At the end of his life he asked his loyalists to be taken to the banks of the Tigris River, where it all began.

Yes, Julian was called the Apostate by his successors because he attempted to bring the Roman Empire back to paganism which had been abandoned after the Edict of Constantine, in 313 AD.

So since his arrival in Turkey, Francesco Speri runs into a series of puzzles and vicissitudes to find the place where Giuliano's remains lie. To complicate everything, it also takes a neo-pagan sect that partly helps him and partly scares him. Francis always ends up having some followers of this congregation on his heels while passing by Eleusis, in Greece, in Florence and in Rome.

The Renaissance and the lordship of the Medici, Poliziano and the Vatican Museums, practically a wonderful space-time journey, what is given to us by the author. I am the emperor is a compelling book that can be read without a touch of boredom if, like me, you are the children of a blind love for history, art and literature. The references to these disciplines are everywhere, far and wide between the lines of this novel, and are expertly collected in a single well-structured plot, with a touch of yellow that is precisely the icing on the cake.

A story with a clear prose, where nothing is what it appears. Finally an Italian yellow which has nothing to envy to overseas best sellers. The author declares that the reason for his passion for the emperor Julian lies in the fact that:

Bravo Stefano Conti! I'm waiting for your next eager book.

Source: Milena Corradini for Literary Chronicles

Federica introduces Stefano Conti

My book section opens with an interview with Stefano Conti, historian and classicist who lent the pen to an archaeological mystery, steeped in history and mystery. "I am the emperor" revolves around the figure of Flavio Claudio Giuliano, the philosopher emperor who converted from Christianity to paganism and who wanted to change the world! That of the Apostate is, as the author himself defines her, a living figure, capable of captivating the reader and leading him, through the centuries and well-defined places, in the maze of the mystery of his burial and his remains stolen together with the treasure that he accompanied them.

A thriller with a pressing rhythm, that of Conti, which fascinates and intrigues for the engaging plot that unfolds over time, the puzzle to solve, the esoteric and artistic references that pervade it and the irony with which it is diluted. Stefano Conti, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in one of the popular meetings he holds around Italy to promote his novel, graduated in Classical Literature at the University of Siena where, among other things, he later became a professor of Roman History and Latin Epigraphy. "I am the emperor", which Il Resto del Carlino has called an archaeological mystery which has nothing to envy to American best sellers, is his first novel.

THE INTERVIEW

How did the idea of an archaeological mystery come about and what is it about you in Francesco Speri?

The idea was born from the desire to mix history, archeology and mystery in a single crime novel. The reader is projected into a sort of journey through space and time.

It can be considered an Italian response to the many foreign novels of this type, from which it differs for the historical foundation and the daily tone of the story, pervaded by a subtle humorous streak. That's why the protagonist is a simple bank teller. The intention is that anyone can see himself again in Francesco Speri, in his weaknesses and uncertainties: he is not a superhero, but one of us, who finds himself involved in a bigger quest than he is.

In the protagonist I inevitably reflect myself: as well as in Giuliano's fixation, his thoughts and actions are mine; even the episodes that I tell, to ironic and break the rhythm, have all really happened to me (even the most curious ones, such as the silent dinner in the dark or the girl who is afraid of butterflies).

From essayist to mystery writer capable of keeping the reader glued to the page. How did you do it?

As a university professor of Roman history, I became passionate about the figure of Emperor Julian the Apostate. So I published two historical monographs about him: Julian the Apostate: a Roman emperor in German literature of the Middle Ages (2005); Iuliane vivas. The emperor Julian in the inscriptions (2019). Giuliano, however, is a living figure, which can fascinate even non-professionals, if presented in the right way, perhaps highlighting the unknown aspects. Here, then, is the idea of a novel: the mystery, still unsolved, at the base of the plot is the disappearance of the emperor's body and the treasure buried with him. We follow the protagonist between cities of art and archaeological sites, in an attempt to decipher the reason for the marriages in the centuries of the imperial corpse. The enigma starts from the Roman age and then developed in the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance and the contemporary era.

Except for Giuliano, are there other historical figures you are particularly attached to and why?

There is another Roman emperor who fascinates me ..., but for now I am concentrated on making known the little-known and mistreated figure of Flavio Claudio Giuliano for centuries. He was a Roman writer and philosopher, as well as the last avowedly pagan sovereign: he tried, unsuccessfully, to reform and revive the pagan religion against the growing spread of Christianity.

"The reason for his fascination for me is all here: Emperor Julian wanted to change the world, without realizing that the world had already changed, but in a completely different direction, and there was no going back."(I am the emperor, p. 13)

What do you think is a good reason to read "I am the emperor"?

The ingredients to be fascinated are all there: a death in mysterious circumstances, a pagan sect, the secrets of the Medici family, the mysterious streets of Istanbul and ancient codes to decipher; add an affable protagonist, an engaging plot, unexpected twists and an accurate and at the same time direct and incisive writing. All seasoned with an ironic streak and a love story with a mysterious and elusive girl.

Beyond the prizes won with this book, what is the best compliment you have received?

The literary festivals in which I participated and the prizes that won the novel confirmed that the path taken was the right one. The transition from a scientific literature addressed only to those in the sector to a more popular and accessible to all is bearing fruit. Just think that the novel I am the emperor has already reached its third edition.

The most beautiful compliment, beyond, of the excellent reviews of the readers, came from a girl of first high school in a meeting held in her school: "It is the most beautiful book I have read in my life: original and exciting".

We know you professionally, can you tell us something about Stefano Conti in everyday life? When you don't write, don't read and don't study, what do you like to do?

In this period of my life I am very concentrated on the activity of writer and promotion of my books. However, I am a great tennis fan and, when I don't write or read, I willingly go out on the court.

Is your book aimed at a specific target audience?

I see that it is highly appreciated by history and archeology enthusiasts, but also by all those who love mystery and unsolved mysteries. The story begins with an eminent archaeologist who announces a sensational discovery: the discovery of the tomb, sought in vain for centuries, by the philosopher emperor. But the tomb is empty and the archaeologist is found dead immediately after the sensational discovery. Was the professor killed? Who stole Giuliano's mortal remains? Where did the jewels buried with the emperor go?

What are the popular meetings you are holding around Italy?

I am shooting squares, theaters and high schools and museums all over Italy to make my novel and the Emperor Julian known with an interesting and engaging meeting-show: an event accompanied by images, by the interpretation of readings by theatrical actors, but also by listening to music and watching movie clips.

For those who want more information on my books and on the dates of the literary tour, the invitation is to take a look at my website: www.stefanoconti.org.

Source: Federica Amadori for Globe Today's

The academic and author of the historical novel I am the emperor, published last year, will speak of Flavio Claudio Giuliano, better known as the Apostate, the last pagan Roman emperor. Controversial figure, who died at the age of 32 in unclear circumstances, Emperor Julian sparked heated debates and discussions among scholars.

“Not a simple conference but a real popular meeting-show - announces the promoting association - where the speaker, author of three books on the Apostate, also thanks to modern multimedia technologies, will tell us in a simple and clear way this fascinating and controversial character in its many facets ".

(Source: La Gazzetta Augustana)