Joan Smith | Unfortunately, She Was a Nymphomaniac
Sat 26 Apr 2025 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm

Join acclaimed campaigner Joan Smith as she sheds new light on the often-overlooked women of Imperial Rome in her ground-breaking book. While these women were among the most privileged in their society, their lives were marked by suffering, including child marriage, marital rape, exile, and even murder. Until now, their stories have been shaped by emperors and chroniclers who painted them as murderers and nymphomaniacs—images largely reflective of the misogyny of the time and amplified by later works like I, Claudius.

Drawing on her years of campaigning against domestic and sexual violence, Smith offers a fresh perspective, uncovering a history of resistance against male authority. She revisits the original Roman texts to tell the true stories of these women—wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters of the first five Roman emperors—whose lives of spirited, inspiring, and sometimes reckless defiance were tragically erased or distorted.

Don’t miss the chance to hear Joan Smith discuss how she has unearthed a new narrative of these women’s courage and resilience, challenging centuries of misrepresentation.

In conversation with Shushma Malik
Venue: Old Divinity School

Duration: 1 hour