Beautiful - Roman defiance

Translator's note

The original translation of the novel "The Roman Resistance" is the classic novel titled Spartacus by Howard Fast.

In ancient times, when the Romans were at their peak, the theater was built as Roman culture gradually deteriorated. As the Romans became more skilled in warfare, the Roman rulers extended their arms of glory, and the Mediterranean region came under the iron heel of Rome. Not only that, but their power spread to countries such as England, Africa, and India.

Power always corrupts the one in power. Just as rust corrodes iron, so the one in power is always corrupted by the power he possesses. Power is like a drunkard who intoxicates. Just as the more drunkard you drink, the more you get drunk, the more power you have, the more you become unstable.

At the height of the Roman power, they became so depraved that they no longer considered other peoples as human beings. They became almost insane. As a result, morals deteriorated. They indulged in drunkenness and fornication. Finally, they became so savage that they even staged and displayed mass killings of people with various weapons until they died. They became more and more animalistic. This was the beginning of the collapse of the Roman Empire.

This translation tells the story of how other peoples who were enslaved by the Romans could no longer bear the yoke of Rome and so they broke away.

The original author, HOWARD FAST, wrote this great novel rather than retelling the history of Rome in detail, but the translator thinks that it is to reveal and warn about the current situation. In the present and future, a strong person is directly or indirectly oppressing a weak person. In some countries, they are even oppressing with tanks and airplanes. I think that the original author wrote his novel by comparing these situations. The original author's motto is.. "Even when the mighty Rome could not stand it anymore, even the unarmed slaves still resisted. In this era, "If you press too hard, you will be imprisoned."

The ideologies that have emerged with the slogan “All men are born free but always in chains” have gradually gained power, and we see in modern times that these ideologies enslave other nations. Enslaved nations struggle to free themselves from slavery. They struggle and sacrifice their lives in the struggle. The less they struggle to gain freedom, the more they are oppressed. If we review the history of the post-war period in the past twenty years, we will find a series of such struggles. Struggles have taken place on all continents of the world, and it is well known how countries have gained independence. However, many countries still remain unfree. Even some so-called free countries are not free in their inner nature.

In any case, the spirit of human freedom is a kind of fire that can never be extinguished. Sometimes it burns fiercely and burns brightly. Sometimes it remains dormant in the form of ashes. But the fire never dies. When the fuel of opportunity and the wind of time meet, the fire will always ignite and burn.

This is the nature of the human world. In a world filled with greed, anger, and ignorance, the oppressor oppresses and the rebel rebels. This is the cycle of world politics that goes round and round. As long as the karma of good and bad continues, humans will continue to be in this cycle.

The original author presents this idea in his novel. While presenting it, the original author further reveals a novel element, saying, “People are a group of people who are satisfied with the world but are not satisfied with the world. The characters in the novel are people who do not give up, no matter how difficult the situation is. May we take their example and be filled with courage and determination and stand for the truth.”

The story of the novel is set in the 71st century BC. However, if you read it carefully and with a little bit of thought, you will be able to see clearly the events that are happening in some countries today.

We are grateful to the Heart of the Heart Publishing House for translating and publishing the original novel with such courage, bringing a great book that stands out in the history of world literature to Myanmar bookshelves. We would also like to express our gratitude to our younger sister, Tin Aye, who helped us translate and write this book.

It's beautiful.

18-12-65