{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgood-scribes-only.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2F151-augustus-john-williams-epistolary-3FbS1dn7","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"#151 Augustus - John Williams (Epistolary)","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/dc0bf27c-409e-4d1e-9c3d-be80c45f3ec3/4001ac0a-f8f9-46c9-8a08-460c8d3a2a79/s8e3.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/06e689c9-45c0-413f-b959-643d4b78f170\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"#151 Augustus - John Williams (Epistolary)\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"About the Book:\n\nPublished in 1972, Augustus by John Williams is a masterful historical novel that chronicles the life and rule of Rome’s first emperor. Told through a series of letters, journal entries, and memoirs, the book captures the political intrigue, personal ambitions, and moral dilemmas that shaped Augustus’ rise to power and his consolidation of the Roman Empire.\n\nWilliams’ spare, elegant prose strips away the grandeur of history to reveal the human side of leadership—the loneliness, compromise, and resilience required to govern. Augustus explores themes of power, legacy, and the tension between public duty and private desire. The novel won the National Book Award and has been praised for its subtle psychological insight and the timeless relevance of its portrayal of leadership and ambition."}