3. Rome's Got Talent
An 11-year-old boy takes to the stage to recite a poem in front of 7000 people, with the Emperor watching from the front row. Mary Beard tells the story of a child prodigy of Rome.
Imagine the feeling in the pit of your stomach as you take to the stage in front of 7000 people to recite a complex poem you鈥檝e just made up on the spot. 11 year old Sulpicius Maximus knows that the Emperor is in the front row and his parents are counting on his success in Rome鈥檚 premier festival of the arts.
Mary Beard tracks down the clues behind an extraordinary story of Roman life, revealing the reality of Roman childhood and the desperate attempts of the poet's parents to escape the shadow of their slave roots and rise through the ranks of Roman society.
Producer: Alasdair Cross
Expert Contributors: Valentina Garulli, Bologna University and Kathleen Coleman, Harvard University
Poetry Translation: Barbara Graziosi
Cast: Sulpicius played by Joseph Goodman and oration read by Tyler Cameron
Special thanks to Barbara Nobiloni at the Centrale Montemartini Museum, Rome
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- Wed 22 Nov 2023 11:3091热爆 Radio 4
- Mon 1 Jul 2024 00:1591热爆 Radio 4 FM
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Being Roman with Mary Beard
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