Hi Athenas Owl:
I'm going to suggest a few books, none of which are "new" Alexander books, but you might not know of them. First up a novel … and one that was out-of-print and impossible to find for under $100 until recently.
Alexander (Hesperus Modern Voices) by Klaus Mann
It is difficult to know where to begin with this book. Mann's Alexander is a dark Alexander and you
won't like him. I don't like his Alexander, and I'm not sure that anyone will. In fact, I suspect that even people who hate Alexander will say "No, no. This is not Alexander." There are so many things wrong in (and with) this novel that even when it is historically accurate there's still an underlying sense that something is just not
quite right. David Carter in his 2007 introduction says that Mann
"studied several of the sources thoroughly, including Aristotle and Plutarch, and the nineteenth century German history of Alexander … by Johann Gustav Droysen." This is undoubtedly true, but knowing the sources did not deter Mann from playing fast and loose with history, or from being utterly inventive whenever he felt like it. For instance ... Cleitus is the same age as Alexander and is the most beautiful boy at court ... it is he who Alexander truly loves and he who rejects Alexander ... the men of the army are all as young as Alexander,
"none of them older than twenty-five" (oh, Paralus will choke at that one!
) ... the speech which brings about the death of Cleitus is his telling of the story of Gilgamesh ... Roxane is actually the Amazon Queen and their marriage is not consummated! I could go on and on, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for you!
There is, however, an occasional flash of sheer genius in the storytelling, such as a particularly delightful little twist concerning Arrhidaeus.
Undoubtedly there are some Pothosians who remember how much I dislike historical inaccuracy in novels and they must be wondering why I, of all people, would recommend this book. Because I couldn't put it down! Part of me was fascinated by how Mann twists, bends and alters history in order to give substance to his vision of Alexander. And part of me just wanted to know where on earth he was going with the story! Well, when I came to the end I found out ... and it was a doozy ... one of those "Oh, no he didn't!" moments when your jaw drops in shock and amazement. Or perhaps shock and horror. I have to say something important here though. If you want the full effect of the ending DO NOT READ JEAN COCTEAU'S FOREWARD OR DAVID CARTER'S INTRODUCTION until after you have finished the story. Carter's intro contains a spoiler and Cocteau's foreword hints at it also. Better to reach the end without knowing any of this, trust me.
Jeanne Reames has a great review on her
Beyond Renault site. Probably best to read it before deciding whether to purchase the book anyway. I cannot tell you that I
like the book in the way that I would say I like Renault's Alexander fiction. It is not, however, easily forgotten and I haven't regretted the purchase.
Another book - and this one I wholeheartedly recommend - is probably not on your radar because it isn't about our boy (although there is a brief sub-chapter about the Roman view of Alexander). It is
Memories of Odysseus: Frontier Tales from Ancient Greece The book wasn't on my radar either, and I've no recollection of exactly how or why it ended up on my wish list. When I purchased it quite recently I expected it to be all about the Odyssey, another one of my interests. I wasn't at all disappointed, however, to find that the book is actually about how the Greeks saw themselves and how they saw "The Other" (Hi Fiona!
) and how these perceptions changed during the course of history. The following is from the
BMCR Review:
For some years now, the study of the other has been a concern of scholars of antiquity. Hartog himself is the author of a groundbreaking exploration of Herodotus in which the issue of otherness was analyzed with sophistication and charm (Le miroir d'Hérodote: essai sur la représentation de l'autre, 1980 [new edition, 1991], which appeared in English, in 1988, as The Mirror of Herodotus: The Representation of the Other in the Writing of History, also translated by Janet Lloyd). In the book under review, Hartog continues the discussion of otherness, and he does so here through analysis of travel and travellers. The book is a sustained and stimulating inquiry into cultural identity, alterity, and memory through the figure of the traveller. For Hartog, the travel voyage functions "as a discursive operator and a narrative device" through which he can better understand Greek self-definition, identity, openness, and attitudes to the foreign. He is interested less in the Realien of travel than in travel as a trope. Readers interested to learn about the facts and figures of ancient travel should read the work of scholars such as Lionel Casson or any number of articles in the standard handbooks and encyclopaedias. Readers also interested in understanding how the issue of travel opens onto questions of identity, otherness, cultural memory, and poetic anthropology should read this book. Hartog's book is not concerned solely with these questions, and those who ask him to go with them and be their guide will appreciate his extraordinary learning and acute mind.
Hmmm, am now thinking I might buy Hartog's Herodotus book also!
For a more traditional book concerning Alexander, how about
Macedonia: From Philip II to the Roman Conquest by Rene Ginouves? It's a coffee table book and it won't inspire much in the way of debate, but I think it's worth the price for the photographs alone, especially if you buy it from one of the Amazon Marketplace dealers. I love it anyway. And there's a
BMCR Review for this book also – by Waldemar Heckel, no less. I was bemused that he chose to review such a book, however he does recommend it!
In essence, however, the main purpose of Macedonia from Philip II to the Roman Conquest is the understandable, and not unwelcome, desire to put on display the splendid sites and artifacts of the Macedonian world. The end result is what looks and reads like a National Geographic article that seems never to end. And I trust that there will be many who will regard the purchase of the book for $75.00 as a good investment and will display it proudly in their livingrooms or studies.
Finally, a book that I'm unable to "recommend" because I haven't read it yet, but I'm chaffing at the bit until I have enough money put aside to make my next Amazon purchase (I like to pick up 3 or 4 books at a time). It's
Alexander's Revenge: Hellenistic Culture through the Centuries. Doesn't the title alone make you want to buy it? I had never heard of it until it came up recently on a publisher's list. Who'd have thought a book with such an intriguing title would have escaped our attention? There's no review on BMCR as far as I can tell, even though it was listed on their "Books Received for Review" page in April of 2004. Hmmm, perhaps it isn't that good of a book? I really don't know. The editorial review on Amazon says:
"Ranging in field from education, art, music, literature, biblical studies, philosophy ... to demography, this collection of essays offers an interdisciplinary focus in the field of cross-cultural studies demonstrating how the world of Alexander is still shaping the present world situation." Well … makes ME want to read it anyway!
Best regards,
