Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World

Anthony Doerr received the Rome Prize, one of the most prestigious awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which included a stipend and a writing studio in Rome for a year. He learned of the award the day he and his wife returned from the hospital with newborn twins. Four Seasons in Rome describes Doerr's year in the city, interweaving his experiences as a new parent with his engagement with Rome's history and art. He reads classical writers including Pliny, Dante, and Keats, and visits the locations they chronicled—piazzas, temples, and ancient cisterns. He attends the vigil of Pope John Paul II and brings his twins to the Pantheon in December to watch for snow falling through the oculus. Throughout the year, his family connects with local butchers, grocers, and bakers, whose stories and advice become part of his experience. The book explores Rome as a city, the experience of raising newborn twins, and the writer's process of transforming observation and experience into prose.