The Nature of Alexander (Penguin Classic Biography S.) - Softcover

Renault, Mary

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9780141390765: The Nature of Alexander (Penguin Classic Biography S.)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014139076X ISBN 13: 9780141390765

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2001

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Alexander the Great, like his boyhood hero Achilles, traded long life for lasting fame. He has been condemned for sins which in his time were merits and credited with nineteenth-century virtues which his own culture despised. This hard-hitting, controversial biography, firmly based on the sources, challenges the ideological interpreters of Alexander, past and present, who have sought to wrench him out of the context of his era.

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Synopsis:

More has been written about Alexander the Great than any other figure in history. Like his boyhood hero, Achilles, he traded long life for lasting fame. King of Macedonia before he was twenty, Alexander went on to become the greatest conqueror of the ancient world, inspiring legends in his lifetime and after his death. Every age has interpreted him to suit their own values: either as a ruthless destroyer who eliminated all those who stood in his path, or as a far-sighted statesman pursuing a civilizing mission for the world. He has been condemned for sins that in his time were merits and credited with romantic 19th-century virtues which his own culture despised. In this hard-hitting work, Mary Renault, who spent years studying the Hellenistic world, peels off the layers of wishful thinking to reveal the real Alexander beneath. Re-examining the crucial episodes in his life: the murder of his father, Philip, in which he was implicated, the sacking of Thebes and his dying wishes, this study places him in the rightful context of his times.

About the Author:

Mary Renault is justly famous for her sensitive and percipient interpretations of the Hellenistic world. She is the author of three best-selling novels about Alexander the Great: FIRE FROM HEAVEN, THE PERSIAN BOY and FUNERAL GAMES.

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