Animula Vagula Blandula Summary

Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yournecar is a classic historical novel detailing the life and reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian, as told from the first-person point-of-view of Hadrian himself. The narrative is told in a letter the protagonist writes to his successor, Marcus Aurelius, and it details the struggles and triumphs of a leader who made peace his central objective.

In the preamble of the letter - Animula Vagula Blandula - Hadrian informs Marcus that his physician Hermogenes has recently inspected him and found his heart disease worsening. Hermogenes attempted to sugar-coat the prognosis, but Hadrian knows the inclination to pander to his better graces. Hadrian does not fear death, however, thinking it merely a part of life. He recalls his days hunting game as a youth. For him, hunting has always been a preferred release of savage...