CLEOPATRA

by Michael Grant ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1973

Had Antony and Cleopatra, united as political strategists as well as lovers, prevailed over Caesar's nephew, the occidentally-minded Augustus, Alexandria would have displaced Rome as the capital of the Ancient World and the course of Empire would have been deflected eastward for centuries to come. This is the central thesis of Grant's empathic, intelligent biography of Cleopatra, the queen whose amorous exploits have obscured her territorial designs and quite exceptional grasp of the political realities of the Hellenistic world. From Cicero to George Bernard Shaw to Cecil B. De Mille, she has been one of the most maligned heroines of history according to Grant who ably rescues ""the Cleopatra who had ideas"" from the clutches of those who have exploited her sexuality for propaganda or art. Along with Antony, Cleopatra was the mastermind behind a ""New Order"" based on a cultural and military partnership between Rome and a confederation of Hellenistic Kingdoms -- one which might have brought forth a more pluralistic, cosmopolitan society than the one in fact wrought by the arrogant imperialism of Caesar Augustus. A numismatist and author of many books on the Ancient World, Grant is exceptionally adept at conveying the queen's unenviable political quandary: the policy of collaboration with Rome which she maintained was the only realistic means of preserving a modicum of independence -- yet it was bitterly opposed by large sections of the ruling class of her own polyglot country. Dalliance with Caesar and Antony brought her enmity at home and abroad -- yet it was a logical and rational means of utilizing her sovereign powers to maximum advantage. The very gods were brought into play in the rivalry between Rome and her client states as Grant's incisive treatment of Cleopatra's manipulation of the pagan pantheon of Egyptian, Hellenistic and Roman deities for earthly ends shows. Grant has read his papyri with care to accomplish this highly convincing revisionist interpretation of a formidable and willfully misunderstood woman.

Pub Date: March 1, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1973

Categories: NONFICTION