Ceasar as literary artist

From Ceasar's Malice, a review by Barry Strauss of The Landmark Julius Ceasar ed. K. Raaflaub, Pantheon. New Criterion April 2018.  

Not the least of the things to consider about Caesar’s writings is this: He wrote them. Himself. Somehow the man who conquered Gaul, defeated the assembled forces of the Roman Empire and their allies abroad, brought down the Roman Republic and laid the foundations of rule by the emperors whom we know as the Caesars, wooed and won beautiful women from Gaul to Egypt (including Cleopatra), gave the western world its current calendar—somehow, this man also found the time to become a great literary artist. Sure, he had slaves, but he didn’t have computers or washing machines or any other modern time-saving devices, and yet he wrote his own great literature. The next time you hear that some politician has a speechwriter and can’t write his own speeches himself, ask yourself why. Ask what that says about our educational system and what it does and doesn’t teach young people. 

Once upon a time, eloquence was a virtue. Not that it is a guarantee of a happy outcome: Caesar shows that, when combined with arms and vote-getting, persuasiveness can bring down a republic. Eloquence is no guarantee of constitutional government, but can you keep a republic without eloquence? That is a question that Caesar leaves unanswered, but we need to know. Given the current state of our educational system, wherein STEM is proclaimed the supreme discipline and wherein those of us in the liberal arts could use a refresher course in what really matters, I fear that we may find out.