Il filosofo e la città

Adolfo La Rocca's Il filosofo e la città offers a comprehensive historical commentary on Apuleio's Florida, re-evaluating the collection's significance within the social, political, and cultural landscape of second-century Roman Africa. Challenging modern readings that reduce Apuleius either to a superficial Second Sophistic rhetorician or a purely contemplative intellectual, this study integrates his literary persona into the civic and elite dynamics of Madaurus and Carthage. Through meticulous historical and philological analysis, the monograph demonstrates how Apuleius actively navigated provincial politics, municipal honorifics, and local power structures, including his tenure as sacerdos provinciae. By examining the rhetorical genre of the lalia (or prolalia), La Rocca reveals how the excerpts served as a sophisticated, code-driven medium for self-fashioning, philosophical legitimacy, and civic engagement. Ultimately, the work illuminates the complex intersection between ancient philosophy and public life, reshaping contemporary understanding of Apuleius' broader career and social standing.