Steven Saylor

Steven Saylor at the 2007 Texas Book Festival.

Steven Saylor (born March 23, 1956) is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics.

Although he also has written novels about Texas history, Saylor's best-known work is his Roma Sub Rosa series, set in ancient Rome. The novels' hero is a detective named Gordianus the Finder, active during the time of Sulla, Cicero, Julius Caesar, and Cleopatra.

Prior to his novel-writing career, he published gay erotic fiction under the pen name Aaron Travis. Saylor has lived with his partner Richard Solomon since 1976 and they officially registered as domestic partners in San Francisco in 1991. The couple split their time between properties in Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas.

Bibliography

Roma Sub Rosa

• Roman Blood (1991), in which Gordianus is hired by the great orator and advocate Cicero in 80 BC. This novel is based on Cicero's speech In Defence of Sextus Roscius of Ameria (Pro Sexto Roscio Amerino), which is published in the Penguin Classics edition of Cicero's Murder Trials.
• The House of the Vestals (1997) (a collection of short stories which appeared later, but which take place between the first book and the second).
• Arms of Nemesis (1992), featuring Crassus during the slave revolt of Spartacus in 72 BC.
• A Gladiator Dies Only Once (2005) (another collection of short stories which appeared later, but which take place between the second book and the third)
• Catilina's Riddle (1993), featuring Cicero and the title character, Catilina, during his rebellion in 63 BC.
• The Venus Throw (1995), featuring the poet Catullus, set during the trial of Marcus Caelius in 56 BC for the reputed murder of Dio of Alexandria.
• A Murder on the Appian Way (1996), set just before the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, focused on the murder of the rabble rouse Publius Clodius Pulcher on the Appian Way outside Rome.
• Rubicon (1999), after Caesar crosses the Rubicon and the members of the Senate flee Rome, dragging the Roman world into civil war.
• Last Seen in Massilia (2000), taking place in Massilia (now Marseille) during the siege of the city by Caesar's men.
• A Mist of Prophecies (2002), set during the Roman civil war in the city of Rome, divided between hopes and fears.
• The Judgment of Caesar (2004), taking place in Egypt, when Caesar met queen Cleopatra in 48 BC.
• The Triumph of Caesar (2008), set in Rome during Caesar's triumphal celebrations in 46 BC.

Roma

• Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome (2007), 1000-year novel of the rise of ancient Rome from its first settlement to the assassination of Julius Caesar.
• Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome (2010), begins with the end of the reign of Augustus in 14 A.D. through the reign of Hadrian in 141.

Other books

Published under the pen name Aaron Travis (erotic fiction):

• All-Stud (1979)
• Slaves of the Empire (1985)
• The Flesh Fables (1990)
• Beast of Burden (1993)
• Exposed (1993)
• Big Shots (1993)
• In the Blood (1995)
• Tag Team Studs: Wrestling Tales (1997) with Clay Caldwell
• Jock Studs (1998) with Clay Caldwell

Published under his own name:

• A Twist at the End (2000)
• Honour the Dead (2000)
• Have You Seen Dawn? (2003)

External links

• Official site
• Official site’s section for “Aaron Travis”