Its as though cleopatra lives and breathes once again in the pages of stacy schiffs exquisitely researched and wellwritten cleopatra. Feb 01, 2004 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Evil woman, the moment i saw such a term used for cleopatra, i knew this book was trouble, written by a roman enthusiast, i m assuming. Cleopatras wrinkled, egyptian body draws on early m. Told in cleopatra s own voice, the memoirs of cleopatra is a mesmerizing tale of ambition, passion, and betrayal in the ancient egyptian world, which begins when the twentyyearold queen seeks out the most powerful man in the world, julius caesar, and does not end until, having survived the assassination of caesar and the defeat of the second. To this day, cleopatra remains a popular figure in western culture, with books, plays, and movies devoted to her story. A vivid account of the life and times of cleopatra lively speech, gentle humour and fullcolour illustrations bring the reader closer to the action as the story unfolds. As the last pharaoh of ancient egypt, i ruled alone without the help of my husband.
The book describes the turbulent times in which she lived very well and the sounds and. Daughter of the nile, says, as a kid studying world history in fifth grade, my image of cleopatra was that she wore beautiful clothes and jewels and probably spent her days floating down the river on a fancy boat. Learn all about this legendary queens fascinating life in scholastics i am biography series. Rider haggard, the author of king solomons mines and she. Yet cleopatra was also a mother of four who spoke nine languages and knew how to build a fleet, manage diplomatic efforts and political strategy, and alleviate a famine. She is famed for her savvy political alliances with julius caesar and. The subject of a vast repertory of postantique popular culture and also a significant figure in literature, art, and music, cleopatra herself is surprisingly little known and generally misunderstood. Katrina ahmansen, a 22year old englishwoman, is embarking on the adventure of a lifetime as the personal assistant to the famous swedish soprano, jenny lind. The novel details kleopatras childhood and upbringing until she becomes queen at the age of 18, and continues on in a second novel titled pharaoh, which i previously did not know existed until recently.
Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. I had no idea she was so intelligent and could speak several languages. The queen was by birth an egyptian but the blood of her greek ancestors flowed in her veins. Like all good writing should, the book flows freely and makes readers feel as if they are engrossed in a truly engaging conversation with a new friend at a cocktail party the kind of discussion where all you can do is. She tells us that when the roman poet lucan describes cleopatras ineffable night of shame with julius caesar, he is writing the equivalent of modern. Cleopatra vii philopator was the last active ruler of the ptolemaic kingdom of egypt, nominally. They happen, however, to have been julius caesar and mark antony, among the most prominent romans of the day. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. I was reading stacey schiffs book about cleopatra right before going to egypt with my family.
Viewed as both goddess and monster even in her own lifetime, she has become through the ages saint and sinner, heroine and victim, femme fatale and starcrossed lover, black and white. The cleopatra 50 is available now with a single or twin engine installation. She appeared in the gardens in bordeaux, i followed her to spain and italy, i pursued her in the streets of paris, she always escaped me, like egypt itself, its isis mysteries. Few personalities from classical antiquity are more famousyet more poorly understoodthan cleopatra vii, queen of egypt. It was as if time ticks backward, and now we are back to the recession of augustus, the era of pruny, old men who wrote in order to defile the reputation of the queen. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. I was a powerful and courageous leader, and i passionately loved my people. The book was published in 1999 as part of scholastics the royal diaries. As soon as i read antony and cleopatra, very young, i looked for cleopatra everywhere.
A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Gave me a wonderful insight into the life of cleopatra other than what the movie portrayed. Cleopatra paperback by grace norwich very good see more like this. Cleopatra, conscious of her royalty and even her claims to divinity as the pharaohs daughter, seems to have hoped to use antony to reestablish the real power of the egyptian throne. After hearing of his wifes death and a rebellion against rome, antony returns home with a renewed sense of duty. Octavian caesar cleopatra arsinoe iv the conflicts of cleopatra vii fun facts julius caesar mark antony ptolemy xiii cleopatra murdered two of her. Cleopatra writ a booke of the preseruation of womens beauty. Books about cleopatra fiction and nonfiction this is a list of books nonfiction, and fiction, about egypts last macedonian queen. The book was also released in mon histoire and my royal story. The new yorker offers a superb panorama of the society and culture of late ptolemaic egypt, with vivid sketches of the remarkably vigorous intellectual life of cleopatra s alexandria and the structural instabilities of the late ptolemaic state. Books about cleopatra fiction and nonfiction 56 books. Cleopatra is a masterwork there is so much information being imparted and yet it never feels stale, fussy or stiff.
Its a light, yet indepth look at cleopatras life, politics, and legend. The book opens with the lines, the story of cleopatra is a story of crime and frankly speaks of the incestuous practices that existed in ancient egypt. Oct 11, 2015 the book is the first in a planned series of four that will tell of cleopatras rise and famous fall, but cleopatra herself hardly appears in it. Mark antony, one of the three rulers of rome, has been carrying on an affair with cleopatra, the queen of egypt. The history and culture of ancient egypt, as shared by this book, are part of what disturb me, however. Being an account of the fall and vengeance of harmachis is a novel written by the author h. They were married in 36 bc most of the romans feared and hated cleopatra, and octavian later augustus undertook to destroy the two lovers. The daughter of ptolemy xii, she was married at the age of 17 as was the family custom to her younger brother ptolemy xiii, and the two inherited the crown in 51 bc the force and character. I am a newcomer to classical history, and i found this biography highly readable and enjoyable, balancing the few known facts against the myths, speculation and fantasies projected upon cleopatra from plutarch to shakespeare to joseph mankiewicz and beyond.
The sisters who could give game of thrones women a run for their money. Rider haggard, the author of king solomons mines and she the book was first printed in 1889. In this major biography, duane roller reveals that cleopatra was in fact a learned and visionary leader whose overarching goal was always the preservation of her dynasty and kingdom. Highly commended in the longman history today new generation book award. Goaded into exile as a result of a failed attempt to oust ptolemy and his advisers, cleopatra, 21, had herself stuffed into a sturdy sack, smuggled back into her own palace, and presented thus to. The story is set in the ptolemaic era of ancient egyptian history and revolves around the survival of a dynasty bloodline protected by the. By jennifer park in robert allotts edited prose commonplace book, wits theater of the little world 1599, he introduces a section on beauty with this line. I am cleopatra will follow her journey from its illustrious beginning to its tragic end. By philippe sollers, translated by armine kotin mortimer. Overall, i found essex included crude situations and even cursing for no reason i can think of as they certainly did not 2. I want to go back and read this book again and it is very readable. Cleopatra had a child with caesar and after his murder three more with his protege. Above all else, cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.
Told in cleopatras own voice, the memoirs of cleopatra is a mesmerizing tale of ambition, passion, and betrayal in the ancient egyptian world, which begins when the twentyyearold queen seeks out the most powerful man in the world, julius caesar, and does not end until, having survived the assassination of caesar and the defeat of the second. A large ptolemaic black basalt statue measuring 41 inches 1. The last queen of egypt was a lover of julius caesar and marc antony. Discover facts about the egyptian ruler, cleopatra who is celebrated for her beauty and love affairs with julius caesar and mark antony. This is a limited view, though, as she was so much more that this book can barely contain the varied spirit of her. Antony and cleopatra is a tragedy by william shakespeare. Cleopatra jones and the casino of gold 1975 silver. She and i adore each other even though i am eight years younger. Few personalities from classical antiquity are more familiar yet more poorly grasped than cleopatra vii 6930 b. The bibliography is extensive and one is assured the author did her research. In spite of the lack of eyewitness descriptions of cleopatra, the question, for instance, of what she looked like becomes a fastmoving amusing discussion of statuary as royal propaganda, the. Mar 28, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. If you are the publisher or author of this book and.
Karen essexs kleopatra is definitely one of the best historical fiction novels i have ever read. I am cleopatra xavier riddle a leveled reader based on an episode from the pbs kids animated television series xavier riddle and the secret museum starring cleopatra. Cleopatra vii ruled ancient egypt as coregent for almost three decades. Nov 30, 2009 the marriage of marc antony and cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earthshaking political consequences. A life misunderstood you may know something about cleopatra. The pulitzer prizewinning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The story starts in 1958, when wanger was hired by. The book did not bring the vibrancy of this time period to life. The action more than makes up for this, though, and in the case of the nutso finale it elevates the film above anything it was previously. The last queen of egypt was a lover of julius caesar and marc antony and a brilliant ruler in her own right. Schiff has received fellowships from the guggenheim foundation, the.
Trade publishing international about scholastic customer service contact us. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to rome. Grace norwich has written many books for young readers on a variety of topics, including health, fashion, animals, and more. The stories surrounding cleopatras tragic life inspired. I am cleopatra by grace norwich scholastic books for kids. Cleopatras life story, gleaned from contemporary sources, is powerfully intriguing. I am cleopatra by grace norwich provides more insight to cleopatras life than ive previously read, as well as the history and culture of ancient egypt. List of books and articles about cleopatra online research. This does a lovely job at explaining things that dont quite make sense if students dont have a good understanding of egyptian culture at the time, and addresses certain topics like the practice of marrying ones siblings, or the fact that caesar and. Part of scholastics i am series, cleopatra was published january 2014.
About i am cleopatra a leveled reader based on an episode from the pbs kids animated television series xavier riddle and the secret museum starring cleopatra. The book injects the egyptian queen with a complexity and humanity that has long since been forgotten. As childhood was not a subject of great interest to the ancients, schiff explains, players tended to emerge fully formed into. I am cleopatra xavier riddle and the secret museum. Nov 24, 2010 yet cleopatra was also a mother of four who spoke nine languages and knew how to build a fleet, manage diplomatic efforts and political strategy, and alleviate a famine. The young princess of egypt, cleopatra vii, travels to rome with her father, king. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. William shakespeares antony and cleopatra is a tale of love and war. She was also the last ruler of the ptolemaic kingdom of egypt. It has survived long enough for the to expire and the book to enter the public domain.
The play was first performed, by the kings men, at either the blackfriars theatre or the globe. Then romes leaders start vying for her attention and cleopatra faces her greatest challenge yet. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Rollers authoritative account is the first to be based. The story is set in the ptolemaic era of ancient egyptian history and revolves around the survival of a dynasty bloodline protected by the priesthood of isis. Much has been written of my beauty, but i was also known for my composure, wit, and strength. Jan 01, 2001 the book read more like a hollywood version of kleopatras life well the portion covered in this book, up to about the age of 21. Franklin, france, and the birth of america, winner of the george washington book prize and the ambassador book award.
Nov 01, 2010 the pulitzer prizewinning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world. As queen of ancient egypt, cleopatra is one of the most famous female rulers in history. Daughter of the nile is a fictional diary written by kristiana gregory about the. In shakespeares time, women were not allowed to appear on stage, and so female parts were played by boy actors. Another entry from the scholastic i am series, this is actually a very helpful book because cleopatras life is so hard to follow. Antony and cleopatra are among historys most famous lovers. Learn all there is to know about the woman who ruled ancient egypt as well as gain insights about her sacred animal companionthe catwith these 5 informative and imaginative books about cleopatra. Cleopatra was a murdering, adulterous control freak who also brought some great innovations to the world and is remembered for her ability to be a femme fatale. Cleopatra paperback by grace norwich very good see more like this 3 8 s p o a d n s o r m e j o d 5 q u w cleopatra.