While still for the most part an interpretation, her book draws a portrait of cleopatra that youve never seen before. Cleopatra by stacy schiff an 80drachma bronze coin minted in alexandria. Great historians can make the discovery of the real story more exciting than the romantic myth. Her palace shimmered with onyx and gold but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. A life, is another portrait of a fascinating woman, and once again, an extraordinary achievement in biography. Michelangelo, tiepolo, and elizabeth taylor put a face to her name.
Its 20 years since a fine book by lucy hugheshallett undertook to. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the. Stacy schiff has a serious girl crush on cleopatra. Cleopatra was born a goddess, became a queen at 18 and at the height of her power, ms. A lifeschiff strips away the accretions of myth that have built up around the egyptian queen and plucks off the imaginative embroiderings of shakespeare, shaw and elizabeth taylorin doing so, she gives us a cinematic portrait of a historical figure far more complex and compelling than any fictional creation, and a. For those who arent quite as excited by history as i am, i think this book may move. The last queen of egypt was a lover of julius caesar and marc antony and a brilliant ruler in her own right. Rich in detail, epic in scope, schiff s is a luminous reconstruction of a dazzling life. A life by pulitzeraward winning author stacy schiff. Schiff s cleopatra is remarkable, not because she dripped with gold and lolled around in revealing clothes, but because she was a wise, gifted operator in a dangerous political climate. The cleopatra most of us know is a fictional creation.
Pulitzer prizewinning biographer stacy schiff brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world. Salem, 1692, which the new york times hailed as an almost novelistic, thrillerlike narrative. A conversation with stacy schiff the author of cleopatra talks with deborah solomon of the new york times magazine in your new biography of cleopatra, you take issue with historians who have attributed her achievements to her looks and implied that she slept her way to the top. Nov 01, 2010 a pulitzer prizewinning biographer presents a swift, sympathetic life of one of historys most maligned and legendary women. New yorker contributor schiff a great improvisation. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read cleopatra. She parses out their differing views, their contradictory facts and analyses why they disagree.
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. Part of that is that i have read so many books on cleopatra. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Cleopatra quotes by stacy schiff goodreads share book.
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. Interview with stacy schiff, author of cleopatra sfgate. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Stacy schiff cleopatra p 6 its a godsend, really lucky, when one has so few relations. Joseph ellis deemed schiffs the finest account to date of the witch trials. A life is a compelling, stunningly contextual biography. In her latest book, stacy schiff, the pulitzer prizewinning biographer of vera nabokov and benjamin franklin, plucks at this riddle and what she discoversabout cleopatra and the men who made her mythis astonishing. Vladimir nabokov, which won the 2000 pulitzer prize for biography. With wit, clarity, and grace, schiff has done what only the best writers can do. The main characters of this history, biography story are cleopatra. There has already been one scholarly biography this year by duane roller, now here is stacy schiff, the author of a terrific pulitzerprize. Famous long before she was notorious, cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points, if you have not read the book. But we know so little about who she was and what she was like the only verifiable image we have of her is on coins.
Also this book is difficult to get intoat least at. Salem, 1692 secend impression by stacy schiff isbn. Rehabilitating cleopatra history smithsonian magazine. Oct 27, 2015 the pulitzer prizewinning biographer provides an account of a foundational american tragedy of mass hysteria and injustice. How history and hollywood got cleopatra wrong the egyptian queen is most often remembered as a beautiful seductress. 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. She puts you there and shows you with both eloquence and care.
The pulitzer prizewinning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world. The story we know comes mainly from the early first century roman writers plutarch and dio. According to author stacy schiff, thats like reading a history of twentiethcentury america written by chairman mao. Vladimir nabokov, stacy schiff revealed a woman who was more creative partner than muse.
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. Oct 31, 2011 this feature is not available right now. The story of cleopatras second visit to rome in 44 b. This page is maintained by little, brown and company. Stacy schiff her palace shimmered with onyx, garnet, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Stacy schiff cleopatra p 5 and in the absence of facts, myth rushes in, the kudzu of history. Her supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. But this is a fascinating and beautifully written journey into the world of the real cleopatra, heavily supported by literary and. Oct 27, 2015 in curious ways, the trials would shape the future republic. The personal inevitably trumps the political, and the erotic trumps all. Stacy schiff, a great historian as well as a wonderful writer, peels away the layers to reveal the true cleopatra a much more interesting woman than the hollywood version, and, as.
Her name is synonymous with sex appeal, with beauty, with egyptian history. A life by stacy schiff from the mysterious and teasing cover image to the elegant and informative writing between the covers, cleopatra is one more example of why stacy schiff is a pulitzer prize winner. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. A pulitzer prizewinner, stacy schiff is the author most recently of the witches. Demille asked claudette colbert when offering her the movie role of cleopatra. Stacy schiff, author official website the witches now. Schiff has received fellowships from the guggenheim. Vladimir nabokov, she immersed herself in early american history. Cleopatra by stacy schiff i have thoughts on books. I thought this was a very enlightening book about not only cleopatra, but the era in which she lived in general.
In a masterly return to the classical sources, stacy schiff boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. A life i found this book to be good but not exceptional. Rich in detail, epic in scope, schiff s is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life. Schiff offers not just cleopatras story but the story of an amazing era, one that has vanished but still affects us, questioning the way we look at myth, history, and ourselves. We will remember that cleopatra slept with julius caesar and mark antony long after we have forgotten what she accomplished in doing so, that she sustained a vast, rich, densely populated empire in its troubled twilight in the name of a proud and cultivated dynasty. 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 cleopatras formative years. At its best, the latest work from schiff cleopatra. For reasons i am sure you can explain to me, it has always been prefer. Through all of this, stacy schiff navigates and guides the reader superblycleopatra is not a dry history book full of facts and dates. Schiff, born in adams, massachusetts, is a graduate of phillips academy andover preparatory school, and earned her b. Dec 09, 2010 do we need another book about cleopatra of egypt. Schiff balances an elegant, almost imperial narrative style.
Stacy schiff is the author of a great improvisation and vera mrs. Stacy schiff writes, it is not difficult to understand why caesar became history, cleopatra a legend page 5. The cleopatra of pop culture is very different from the cleopatra of history, who we dont actually know that much about. Azar nafisi great historians can make the discovery of the real story more exciting than the romantic myth.
The publisher has supplied this book in drm free form. After a dense first few chapters, cleopatra becomes an absorbing look at a woman remembered more often for the things that she wasnt than for the things that she was. The first edition of the novel was published in september 5th 2006, and was written by stacy schiff. Stacy schiff books list of books by author stacy schiff. Stacy madeleine schiff born october 26, 1961 is an american nonfiction author residing in new york. Franklin, france, and the birth of america, 2005, etc. Schiff notes that caesars assassination was a political disaster for cleopatra, but she quickly recovered, won antony and enjoyed a number of amazingly powerful and profligate years before history and the forces of octavian brought her down. Above all else, cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious. She has received fellowships from the guggenheim foundation and the national endowment for the humanities, and was a directors fellow at the center for scholars and writers at the new york public library.
Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Cleopatra reintroduced the metal, long out of production and. The title of this book is cleopatra and it was written by stacy schiff. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 302 pages and is available in hardcover format. Schiff was drawn to the vocation herself by her interest in antoine saintexupery, an attraction. It makes sense of the canonical, jumbled, and inconsistent biographical accounts of ancient writers who didnt know cleopatra personally. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. To understand cleopatra is to understand how ancient history was written, by whom and for whom, and why. 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. Franklin, france, and the birth of america, winner of the george washington book prize and the ambassador book award. 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. Stacy schiff simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Stacy schiff boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order, a generation before the birth of christ.
Stacy schiff doesnt just tell you, history book style, how the ancients behaved. Along the way, cleopatra s supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. Schiff writes, she controlled virtually the entire eastern mediterranean coast, the last great kingdom of. Nov 02, 2010 stacy schiff gives us a cinematic portrait of cleopatra that is far more compelling than any fictional creation. As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, the witches is stacy schiffs account of this fantastical storythe first great american mystery unveiled fully for the first time by one of our most acclaimed historians. Menander and as was observed later in connection with cleopatra, some women are younger at seventy than most women at seventeen. As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, the witches is stacy schiffs account of this fantastical story the first great american mystery unveiled fully for the first time by one of our most acclaimed historians. Stacy schiff knows a bit about traveling back in time to bring people to life. It gave insight not only about the different roles women played in eygptian history.
Above all else, cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. 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. Cleopatra is buried under centuries of lies, and stacy schiff calls on her considerable powers to bring her back to life for us. David mccullough declared the book brilliant from start to finish. 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. He found the answer in a single word a womans name. Stacy schiffs cleopatra proves that she was a steely master of realpolitik at home, in war, and grand strategy, says. Its an indication that with the egyptian queen, in the match between read more cleopatra. Stacy schiffs book helps to see this woman in a completely different light. A life misunderstood you may know something about cleopatra. May 15, 20 this feature is not available right now. Stacy schiff is an american pulitzer prize winning author and historian, as well as a guest columnist for the new york times. She earned her degree from williams college in 1982. With each episode in cleopatras life, she tells us what the ancient historians saiddio, plutarch, and others.
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