Schiff has also written biographies of french aviator and author of the little prince. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 302 pages and is available in hardcover format. Interview with stacy schiff on her book, the witches. My favorite is i cleopatra which was published in the seventies and i really look to that book as being the gold standard of all things cleopatra. Schiff writes, she controlled virtually the entire eastern mediterranean coast, the last great kingdom of. Cleopatra by stacy schiff an 80drachma bronze coin minted in alexandria.
Cleopatra led an epic life, and schiff captures its sweep and scope in a vigorous narrative aimed at the general reader yet firmly anchored in modern scholarship. Nov 01, 2010 the pulitzer prizewinning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world. Its a stance that puts her at odds with 2,000 years worth of cleopatra chronicles, and shes aware of it. With wit, clarity, and grace, schiff has done what only the best writers can do. Vladimir nabokov, stacy schiff revealed a woman who was more creative. You might think you know everything there is to know about this infamous egyptian ruler, but, believe me, you dont. In addition, she has a tartness to match the standards of cleos. Book overview her palace shimmered with onyx and gold but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue.
This is a book full of living, savage, thriving, laughing, dying people. Schiff told me she had to go back to primary sources. There has already been one scholarly biography this year by duane roller, now here is. Above all else, cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious.
If you want to read 300 pages about how awesome queen cleo was, then this is the book for you. Stacy schiff gives us a cinematic portrait of cleopatra that is far more. Stacy schiff talks about her new book cleopatra youtube. Stacy schiff her palace shimmered with onyx, garnet, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue.
That schiffs book is the basis of a new paul greengrass film. Michelangelo, tiepolo, and elizabeth taylor put a face to her name. Nov 01, 2010 a pulitzer prizewinning biographer presents a swift, sympathetic life of one of historys most maligned and legendary women. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points, if you have not read the book. I walked those ebony doors and onyx floors with her as she painted the scenes and expounded the tricky customs, laws and rhetoric that shaped cleopatra s formative years. While still for the most part an interpretation, her book draws a portrait of cleopatra that youve never seen before. Her palace shimmered with onyx and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue.
A pulitzer prizewinner, stacy schiff is the author most recently of the witches. Stacy madeleine schiff born october 26, 1961 is an american nonfiction author residing in new york. David mccullough declared the book brilliant from start to finish. Above all else, cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Ideally, as stacy schiff observes in her magnificent recreation of both an extraordinary woman, and her times, our sense of cleopatra would be heightened by. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Now in paperback history in the hands of stacy schiff is invariably full of life, light, shadow, surprise, clarity of insight, and so it is again and then some in her latest work, the witches. A life is a compelling, stunningly contextual biography. Cleopatra s palace shimmered with onyx and gold but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Engage your students during remote learning with video readalouds. Cleopatra s palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue.
According to biographer stacy schiff, we do not even know what cleopatra looked like. Cleopatra s origin, her education, financial situation as well as the people she met shed light on why it was and still is so difficult to think of. The main characters of this history, biography story are cleopatra. The story we know comes mainly from the early first century roman writers plutarch and dio. Buy online stacy schiff brings to life one of the most intriguing women in the history of the world. In a masterly return to the classical sources, stacy schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. A life by stacy schiff in chm, epub, fb2 download e book. She puts you there and shows you with both eloquence and care. Schiff, born in adams, massachusetts, is a graduate of phillips academy andover preparatory school, and earned her b. A life, stacy schiff is authoritative and confident. Part of that is that i have read so many books on cleopatra. Stacy schiff writes, it is not difficult to understand why caesar became history, cleopatra a legend page 5. Monarchy on the contrary, has an unpleasant sound, but is a most practical form of government to live under. After a dense first few chapters, cleopatra becomes an absorbing look at a woman remembered more often for the things that she wasnt.
Her palace shimmered with onyx and gold but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. The cleopatra of pop culture is very different from the cleopatra of history, who we dont actually know that much about. Stacy schiff brings to life one of the most intriguing women in the history of the world. No one sits on the stoop when shes a kid and thinks, i want to be a biographer when i grow up, stacy schiff told me when we met over breakfast on the upper east side of manhattan a few weeks ago to discuss her newest book, cleopatra. One of the new york times 10 best books of 2010 her palace shimmered with onyx and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Cleopatra reintroduced the metal, long out of production and. But this is a fascinating and beautifully written journey into the world of the real cleopatra. Ideally, as stacy schiff observes in her magnificent recreation of both an extraordinary woman, and her times, our sense of cleopatra would be. Nov 02, 2010 cleopatra was born a goddess, became a queen at 18 and at the height of her power, ms. We picture her as elizabeth taylor in the 1960s eponymous flop and think of mark antony as richard burton. Cleopatra schiff litlovers book club recommendations.
Cleopatra is buried under centuries of lies, and stacy schiff calls on her considerable powers to bring her back to life for us. You think 21st century culture is celebrityobsessed. This is a well researched and dense book it is not easy to read. A life, is another portrait of a fascinating woman, and once again, an extraordinary achievement in biography. Rick riordan declared cleopatra impossible to put down. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Stacy schiff has a serious girl crush on cleopatra. The pulitzer prizewinning biographer brings to life the most intrigui. Stacy schiff is an american pulitzer prize winning author and historian, as well as a guest columnist for the new york times. Vladimir nabokov, stacy schiff revealed a woman who was more creative partner than muse to a husband who depended heavily on her. Stacy schiff cleopatra p 148 as dio observed later, democracy sounded very well and good, but its results are seen not to agree at all with its title.
In a masterly return to classical sources, schiff boldly rescues the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. The title of this book is cleopatra and it was written by stacy schiff. Stacy schiff penetrates an ancient thicket of personalities and propaganda to reconstruct the macedonianegyptian queen cleopatra in all her. Through all of this, stacy schiff navigates and guides the reader superbly cleopatra is not a dry history book full of facts and dates.
Also this book is difficult to get intoat least at. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Stacy schiffs book helps to see this woman in a completely different light. A life stacy schiff tries to reconstruct the biography of the of the most fascinating woman in history. Famous long before she was notorious, cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. A life, winner of the penjacqueline bograd weld awar. No one is better on auletes and his travails than mary sianidavies, especially her ptolemy xii auletes and the romans, historia 46 1997. The pulitzer prizewinning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world. Nov 07, 2010 stacy schiff penetrates an ancient thicket of personalities and propaganda to reconstruct the macedonianegyptian queen cleopatra in all her ambition, audacity and formidable intelligence. The cleopatra most of us know is a fictional creation. A life by stacy schiff miranda seymour enjoys a dramatic biography of the last and most dazzling of the ptolemys. Franklin, france, and the birth of america, winner of the george washington book prize and the ambassador book award. The wall street journals critic wrote, stacy schiff does a rare thing.
I remembered little about the famous egyptian ruler from world history class in high school, and i dont think the elizabeth taylor movie counts as a documentary, so schiffs book felt like my introduction to cleopatra. Cleopatra was queen of a large, rich, highly sophisticated country for more than 20 years, yet almost everything we know about her comes from a legend created by her most deadly enemy, the roman emperor augustus. One of the new york times 10 best books of 2010 her palace shimmered. A life, winner of the penjacqueline bograd weld award for biography.
Stacy schiffs cleopatra proves that she was a steely master of realpolitik at home, in war, and grand strategy, says. It makes sense of the canonical, jumbled, and inconsistent biographical accounts of ancient writers who didnt know cleopatra personally. As stacy schiff describes it in a captivating new biography, cleopatra s meeting with julius caesar was a singular, shuddering moment, when two civilizations, passing in. A life i found this book to be good but not exceptional. Cleopatras origin, her education, financial situation as well as the people she met shed light on why it was and still is so difficult to think of her as an important political figure rather than a mysterious woman. Vladimir nabokov, which won the pulitzer prize for biography in 2000, and saintexupery. A life, by stacy schiff, captures the queen the new. It should be noted that cr and his ghostwriter offer the sole contemporary accounts of the war.
Stacy schiff explains how the salem witch trials began duration. Stacy schiff boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered. Stacy schiff s book helps to see this woman in a completely different light. A life by stacy schiff and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Joseph ellis deemed schiff s the finest account to date of the witch trials. Dec 09, 2010 what makes schiffs book stand out is its almost deliberate antischolarliness though it is scrupulously referenced.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. According to author stacy schiff, thats like reading a history of twentiethcentury america written by chairman mao. Stacy madeleine schiff is an american former editor, essayist, and author of five biographies. L uscious and scrupulous is a difficult combination to pull off, but stacy schiff does so in her life of cleopatra. A life by stacy schiff january 2, 2012 january 2, 2012 kevin revolinski 1 comment cleopatra, egypt, egypt history, history, stacy schiff what little most of us know of cleopatra has come to us through fiction and hollywood production.
A life by pulitzeraward winning author stacy schiff. Stacy schiff doesnt just tell you, history book style, how the ancients behaved. Stacy schiff s cleopatra proves that she was a steely master of realpolitik at home, in war, and grand strategy, says. Franklin, france, and the birth of america, 2005, etc. Stacy schiff books list of books by author stacy schiff. About the book we all know about cleopatra vii, her seductive ways, her wanton affairs with two of the mightiest men of rome and her demise by an asp bite. This page is maintained by little, brown and company. Rich in detail, epic in scope, schiff s is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life. Salem, 1692, which the new york times hailed as an almost novelistic, thrillerlike narrative. Discuss the role of subjectivity in historical records. Along the way, cleopatra s supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. New yorker contributor schiff a great improvisation. A life through the manoflabook affiliate account on. I picked up this book because it was getting a lot of buzz on various history and reading sites for being a lucid, easytoread, modern biography of cleopatra.
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