The Dream of Scipio

The Dream of Scipio is a historical mystery novel by Iain Pears. Published in 2002, the novel weaves together three separate narratives, each of which is set at a different pivotal moment in Western history. All three stories are tied together by a text by the fictional Roman writer Manlius Hippomanes, entitled The Dream of Scipio. This fictional text is a commentary upon the extant piece of writing produced around 53 BC by the real Roman author Cicero. Though lost to the historical record following the fall of the Roman Empire, The Dream of Scipio resurfaces twice more at key moments in European history and enters the lives of two future scholars who encounter it.

In addition to Manlius’ narrative, the novel recounts the stories of Olivier de Noyen, a poet and scholar working for the Papal Court at Avignon at the height of the Black Death in the 14th Century, and Julien Barneuve, an intellectual who works with the Vichy Government in France at the height of World War II.

The novel originates with Manlius’ narrative. He is introduced as a Roman aristocrat living in a region of Gaul that is far from the capital city. With the Roman Empire in decline, the army can no longer adequately defend Gaul against its enemies and the region is in imminent danger of being overrun.



Manlius faces the question of whether to cooperate with invading Visigoths or maintain his allegiance to Rome even when he knows that the Empire’s days are numbered. His spiritual advisor and lover, the Neo-Platonist philosopher Sophia, encourages him to resist the Visigoths and preserve Roman values and culture even if it will not benefit him materially. Despite his respect for Sophia, Manlius ignores her advice, aids the Visigoths, and eventually becomes a Christian bishop. His conversion is not due to any particular belief in Christian tenants, but rather because of the power the position affords him.

The second part of the narrative recounts the story of Olivier de Noyen, a scholar who becomes deeply entangled in the papal split of the 14th Century. Olivier allies himself with the Papal Court in the south of France, which includes an ambitious Cardinal who uses the Black Death to turn the Christians of the region against the Jewish population.

Under the threat of violence, some Jews in the region convert to Christianity in order to protect themselves from death. Olivier’s beloved, Rebecca, and her father, an important rabbi, refuse. At the end of his story, Olivier risks his life and physical health to help Rebecca and her father escape Avignon.



Juliene, the main character of the third narrative thread, is also the scholar who uncovers the stories of Manlius and Olivier during his research on the history of Avignon. As he finds more information related to the two men, he comes to realize how much their situations parallel his own as he faces the Nazi occupation of France at the height of World War II.

When Germany invades France, Juliene finds his loyalties torn between two friends, one of whom works for the Nazi-allied Vichy Government and the other of whom joins the Resistance. Though Juliene is not a Nazi sympathizer, he is ultimately convinced that he can do more good as an administrator of the new government who advocates for change from within the system. However, the government that he works for ultimately condones the imprisonment and execution of his beloved, Julia.

The similarities between the two narratives extend beyond the historical text that links them. All three concern a man in conflict with the prevailing governmental forces of the time and how each deals with the clash between personal values and external pressures. Though each main character exists at a time when society is on the verge of a profound change, all of their stories are strikingly similar. Each man experiences the same essential conflict, and each is motivated by love for a unique woman and a search for personal truth.



The Dream of Scipio explores three periods in history that Pears considers essential to understanding the Western tradition, culture, and history. In addition to being linked by Manlius’ fictional text and by geographic region, each of the three narratives that make up the story also share key similarities of theme. In this way, Pears is able to explore things that he considers to be universal experiences and challenges faced by people across time and space.

In its review, The Wall Street Journal described the book as “…complex, surprising and thought-provoking.” In order to fully explore the similarities between the three eras of the novel, Pears advances the plot slowly and deliberately. Through three painstakingly rendered examples of characters throughout history, Pears gives the reader a complete understanding of the tenants of Neo-Platonism and how the philosophy can and should be applied in real life.