Alexander the great historical fiction book

Alexander was born in pella, the capital of the kingdom of macedon, on the sixth day of the ancient greek month of hekatombaion, which probably corresponds to 20 july 356 bc, although the exact date is uncertain. Another book that looks at the complexities of alexander and the totality of his humanity, from warrior to deep thinker. My loyal legion of book fansokay, it might have been one guy in the back of the room at my latest book signingrecently asked me what was the key to recreating the world of pirates for my historical fiction book blackbeard. Historiae alexandri magni is a biography of alexander the great written by roman historian quintus curtius rufus, dating to the 1st century.

We looked at lists on both sides of the pond to generate a short list of the best 30 historical fiction novels out there. Alexander tell the story of his life to itanes, his brotherinlaw. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 368 pages and is available in paperback format. Sep 07, 2017 so, my favorite thing to read is probably medieval historical fiction. Charlotte is the younger sister of alexander hamilton, one of the great founding fathers of america. The narration of the story is in the person of alexander but there is an unknown person who appears to witness the interaction between alexander and his confidante itanes. Not up to historical accuracy as historical texts, this novel of historical fiction captures the imagination. In addition to vivid fictional portrayals of theseus, socrates, plato and alexander the great, she wrote a non fiction biography of alexander. There, renault wrote the historical novels that would define her career. I am enjoying the books as fiction so it would not make any difference if it was about frederick the great instead of alexander am i missing something.

We join charidemus as he competes in a race around olympia. The best books on alexander the great, as recommended by historian hugh bowden, from the oldest existing biography to the best historical fiction. Fire from heaven, the persian boy, and funeral games kindle edition by renault, mary. At the beginning of the virtues of war, alexander the great is still a young man under the. Welcome back to this months essential reading list. The best historical fiction books penguin random house. Do you know any historical novel about alexander the great.

Cultural depictions of alexander the great wikipedia. The literary sources first appear much later with the roman empire. Mar 09, 2009 waldemar heckel is professor of ancient history at the university of calgary. Attalus is portrayed as an assassin, swordsman and later general of philip ii of macedonia.

If you want to know exactly everything about alexander the great this is probably a good book. Jacob abbott 18031879 tutored by aristotle, compelled to ascend the throne at the age of 20 when his illustrious father was assassinated, driven by a passion for expanding the borders of his tiny kingdom, alexander of macedon was one of the most towering figures of ancient history. We begin with his birth, and move to his youth of 18, where he leads the companions against the sacred band of thebes, to his retaking of the greek city states after. Jul 31, 2014 landmarks of historical fiction, psychologically intense and also very entertaining, renault seems perfect for this months choice. For no one possessed the leadership to keep the great empire from crumbling. This work is a narrative, alexander telling the history of his battles to his brotherinlaw itanes, a brother of alexander s bride roxanne. Alexander the great i liked how the book explained alexanders life and his war tactics. His book provides the definitive account of the legends of alexander the greata powerful leader in life and an even more powerful figure in the history of literature and ideas. This historical fiction novel about alexander of macedon is very well done. Alexander the great has decided to add persia to his conquests, but finds his inner circle beset with intrigue and his own divine personage in peril as spies and murderers stalk the ten. A young macedonian in the army of alexander the great. It was originally written in italian by italian author and classics professor valerio massimo manfredi in 1998, but it enjoyed such success that it was translated into english in 2001.

They span the gamut between historical reconstruction and historiographical research, and, viewed as. They include a pair of novels about the mythological hero theseus and a trilogy about the career of alexander mary renault was an english writer best. If youre anything like us, your favorite way to learn about history is by immersing yourself in a fictional world shaped by actual events. Alexander the great in fact and fiction oxford scholarship. Alexander the great world on fire spoils of olympus ii by christian kachel. The story tells of his complex relationship with his parents. Fire from heaven is a gripping account of the formative years of alexander s life. The only contemporaneous records for him are in the babylonian astrological tablets.

All the light we cannot see, by anthony doerr a young bli. The ends of the earth novel news newspapers books scholar. By purchasing books through this website, you support our nonprofit organization. Tritle, 2003, the wars of alexander the great 2002, and the marshals of. Sign me up to get more news about historical fiction books. The greek alexander romance, often referred to as a pseudocallisthenes production, is in one form or another one of the most influential and widely read books of all time. Creating a top ten list for books on alexander the great is not easy, since few. Pressfield has uniquely embedded himself into the personality of alexander the great in the virtues of war, lifting alexander fully to life. There are numerous surviving ancient greek and latin sources on alexander the great, king of macedon, as well as some asian texts. This is written in a more novel style, very much like freemans later work.

A new york timesbestselling trilogy about the ancient greek kingdom of macedon and its leader from an author hailed by hilary mantel as a shining light. What are the best biographies on alexander the great. In the first authoritative biography of alexander the great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian philip freeman tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror. The best historical fiction novels ever prowritingaid. Ancient history encyclopedia receives a small commission for each book sold through our affiliate partners. The first edition of the novel was published in 1998, and was written by valerio massimo manfredi. Though often overshadowed by him because of her quiet and thoughtful personality, the two siblings could not be any closer.

Alexander, archer to alfonso i deste, duke of ferrara, 14761534 art patronage exhibitions include extended shelves. More fully title is historiarum alexandri magni macedonis libri qui supersunt, all the books that survive of the histories of alexander the great of macedon. There is also a 44 minute long documentary video on him in the groups videos for you to watch. The author knows a great deal about alexander the great. Jan 01, 2016 the only contemporaneous records for him are in the babylonian astrological tablets. The book concludes with a discussion of alexander s death in babylon, by examining how alexander functioned in the west during the renaissance and in medieval and modern greece.

When alexander hamilton faced his death, he saw those he was closest to waiting for him on the other side. Featured author this first book by father and author, mark unger, was born from his burning desire to document their incredible journey of heartbreak and ultimate triumph. Fire from heaven by mary renault, alexander the great by robin lane fox, the persian boy by mary renault, the campa. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This book collects together ten contributions by leading scholars in the field of alexander studies which represent the most advanced scholarship in this area. Mary renaults celebrated alexander the great trilogy. A historical fiction of ancient greece based upon real letters from alexander s conquests book book details. Mary renaults trilogy of novels about alexander the great fire from heaven, the persian boy and funeral games is one of my favourite works of historical fiction. They display a rich variety of methodologies, combining historical reconstruction. Diodorus regarded alexander like caesar as a key historical figure and chronological marker. In the 2004 film alexander, attalus was portrayed by actor nick dunning. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are aristotle, alexander the great.

Alexander the great was an ancient macedonian ruler and one of historys greatest military minds who, as king of macedonia and persia, established the. The name of the rose by umberto eco the oddest melding of murder mystery and theological treatise ever penned, this ranks as the most original of historical fictions. Her historical novels are all set in ancient greece. Unfortunately the story is lost in minutiae, such as the culture of tribesmen in inner macedonia or some random tomb and all its history that alexander happened to pass by. In the 1956 richard burton film alexander the great, he was played by stanley baker. It was largely funded by a generous grant from the australian research council, which was designed to encourage greater collaboration among researchers and thus enhance the quality and effectiveness of outcomes of that research. Campaigns of alexander anabasis complete audiobook 12 hours in english macedonia. A novel of alexander the great by steven pressfield sep 27, 2005. The celebrated macedonian king has been one of the most enduring figures in history. In 2006, renault was the subject of a bbc 4 documentary, and her books, many of which.

It starts with a mythical history of iran and then gives a story of alexander, followed by a brief mention of the. The charge of patricide can never be proved, he slyly writes, but that it can be contemplated at all conveys a good notion of the edgy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the novels of alexander the great. Historical fiction that is somehow also star trek would be the best, but that would involve time travel and might fuck with the spacetime continuum and then youd get the department of temporal investigation involved, and those guys are cranky. Although philip had seven or eight wives, olympias was. When his time came, however, he was forced to face the truth. I am enjoying the books as fiction so it would not make any difference if it was about frederick the great instead of alexander am i missing.

In point of boring historical fact, the mention of persepolis in his. Great books an equestrian statue of alexander the great in thessaloniki. This book collects together ten contributions by leading experts in the field of alexander studies which represent the most advanced scholarship in this area. It is a book of epic poetry written around ad, and is believed to have played an important role in the survival of the persian language in the face of arabic influence.

The villainand villainessin this series are ones to take the books. In addition to these five main sources, there is the metz epitome, an anonymous late latin work that narrates alexander s campaigns from hyrcania to india. Alexander gets tied to ideas related to the great game, the world of espionage between the british empire and russia in the 19th century. Filled with cunning plans, intrigue, danger and even love, the author has done a splendid job in book 2 of this series. In this historical novel based on the life of alexander the great, kazantzakis has. Alexander in a submarine detail from british library royal ms 15 vi. He was the son of the king of macedon, philip ii, and his fourth wife, olympias, the daughter of neoptolemus i, king of epirus. This is the first part of a trilogy of historical fiction books on the life of alexander the great. With a grand theme as her topic, one where the historical evidence is enough to inspire the imagination but not so voluminous as to inhibit creativity, renault tells a compelling and moving story. The five main surviving accounts are by arrian, plutarch, diodorus siculus, quintus curtius rufus, and justin. They span the gamut between historical reconstruction and historiographical research, and viewed as a whole represent a wide spectrumof methodology. They span the gamut between historical reconstruction and historiographical research, and, viewed as a whole, represent a wide spectrum of methodology. A historical fiction of ancient greece book book details. Alexander the great in fact and fiction, 2000 online.

Church, a young macedonian in the army of alexander the great 1890 2. Alexander the great in fact and fiction hardcover a. This first english collection of essays on alexander the great of macedon includes a. Stick to the real history while sustaining a crisp pace. Crumbling at the hands of alexanders generals, each of whom want the most territory, and who do not want alexander iv to claim his fathers throne.

This book originated in a symposium on alexander the great, held at the university of newcastle nsw, australia in july 1997. Alexander the great 7 books meet your next favorite book. Anyone interested in alexander the great and who hasnt yet read the book on him by steve pressfield. The ends of the earth is the third and last part of valerio massimo manfredis trilogy on alexander the great. Alexander the great in fact and fiction ebook, 2000. It will be an inspiration to those dealing with unimaginable medical hurdles either themselves or in their families. Alexander the great is interpreted in the light of contemporary imperial and colonial ideas and thats what briant talks about in this book. After the oracle of ammon told him he is the son of zeus, alexander feels invincible and marches north towards the historic town of.

His book provides the definitive account of the legends of alexander the great a powerful leader in life and an even more powerful figure in the history of literature and ideas. I purchased this book as a way to teach my high school students about alexander the great. I feel that most history books only throw random dates and facts at students, and unrealistically expect them to remember all of it. Oracles predicting alexander s death are found in many of the traditions, most of which assign his death to poisoning following the historical sources. Curtius edit historiae alexandri magni, a biography of alexander in ten books, of which the last eight survive, by the roman historian quintus curtius rufus, written in the 1st century ad, and based largely on cleitarchus through the mediation of. Richard stoneman is honorary fellow of the university of exeter and widely acknowledged as the foremost expert globally on the myths of alexander. In the 1990 and 1991 historical fiction books lion of macedon and dark prince by david gemmell. Alexander the great book by philip freeman official. This book collects together ten contributions by leading scholars in the field of alexander studies that represent the most advanced scholarship in this area. They span the gamut between historical reconstruction and historiographical research and, viewed as a whole, represent a wide spectrum of methodology. From the new york times bestselling author of the weight of water and the pilots wife an oprahs book club selection. Fire from heaven, the persian boy, and funeral games. Alexander, simply put, stands out as unique among ancient historical figures for having.

Alexander added a great navy to this army after taking control of philips forces upon his fathers deatha demise in which, cartledge more than hints, alexander may have played an important part. No exact match for alexander the great 356 323 bc fiction. Yes, it is fiction, but its packed with historical facts about alexander s life. Anyone interested in alexander the great and who hasnt yet read the book on him by steve pressfield, throughout august 2012 we are doing a group read of this book. Nov 04, 2004 the author knows a great deal about alexander the great. This book has a lot of historical character names and place names.

This riveting historical fiction depicts a soldier in alexander the great s army, and is inspired by authentic macedonian letters discussing alexander s conquests across asia. Alexander the great books meet your next favorite book. His publications include whos who in the age of alexander the great blackwell, 2005, alexander the great. Alexander the great by jacob abbott free at loyal books. This book comprises ten contributions by leading scholars, and represents the most advanced writing in the field.