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. 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. Schiff has received fellowships from the guggenheim foundation, the. 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. A large ptolemaic black basalt statue measuring 41 inches 1. Few personalities from classical antiquity are more famousyet more poorly understoodthan cleopatra vii, queen of egypt. Learn all about this legendary queens fascinating life in scholastics i am biography series. Cleopatra is a masterwork there is so much information being imparted and yet it never feels stale, fussy or stiff. Its as though cleopatra lives and breathes once again in the pages of stacy schiffs exquisitely researched and wellwritten cleopatra. Cleopatra jones and the casino of gold is a better movie than the original, even if it is fairly cliched and still somewhat sluggish in parts. Then romes leaders start vying for her attention and cleopatra faces her greatest challenge yet.
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. 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. Mar 28, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. 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. Rider haggard, the author of king solomons mines and she the book was first printed in 1889. Franklin, france, and the birth of america, winner of the george washington book prize and the ambassador book award. 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. Nov 01, 2010 the pulitzer prizewinning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world. The sisters who could give game of thrones women a run for their money. Above all else, cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. She and i adore each other even though i am eight years younger.
If you are the publisher or author of this book and. The last queen of egypt was a lover of julius caesar and marc antony. Cleopatra had a child with caesar and after his murder three more with his protege. Feb 01, 2004 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. 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. 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. Grace norwich has written many books for young readers on a variety of topics, including health, fashion, animals, and more.
Another entry from the scholastic i am series, this is actually a very helpful book because cleopatras life is so hard to follow. Cleopatra vii ruled ancient egypt as coregent for almost three decades. 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.
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. Cleopatra paperback by grace norwich very good see more like this. The book injects the egyptian queen with a complexity and humanity that has long since been forgotten. I was a powerful and courageous leader, and i passionately loved my people.
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. It has survived long enough for the to expire and the book to enter the public domain. 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. Gave me a wonderful insight into the life of cleopatra other than what the movie portrayed. Rider haggard, the author of king solomons mines and she. Overall, i found essex included crude situations and even cursing for no reason i can think of as they certainly did not 2. 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.
I am cleopatra by grace norwich scholastic books for kids. 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. She was also the last ruler of the ptolemaic kingdom of egypt. 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. The cleopatra 50 is available now with a single or twin engine installation. William shakespeares antony and cleopatra is a tale of love and war. 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. Few personalities from classical antiquity are more familiar yet more poorly grasped than cleopatra vii 6930 b.
A life misunderstood you may know something about cleopatra. As childhood was not a subject of great interest to the ancients, schiff explains, players tended to emerge fully formed into. 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 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. 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. Cleopatras wrinkled, egyptian body draws on early m. The bibliography is extensive and one is assured the author did her research. Cleopatra jones and the casino of gold 1975 silver. Being an account of the fall and vengeance of harmachis is a novel written by the author h. 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 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. To this day, cleopatra remains a popular figure in western culture, with books, plays, and movies devoted to her story. 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.
I am cleopatra xavier riddle and the secret museum. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. As the last pharaoh of ancient egypt, i ruled alone without the help of my husband. Trade publishing international about scholastic customer service contact us. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. As queen of ancient egypt, cleopatra is one of the most famous female rulers in history. Part of scholastics i am series, cleopatra was published january 2014. I had no idea she was so intelligent and could speak several languages. The story is set in the ptolemaic era of ancient egyptian history and revolves around the survival of a dynasty bloodline protected by the. The stories surrounding cleopatras tragic life inspired. Books about cleopatra fiction and nonfiction this is a list of books nonfiction, and fiction, about egypts last macedonian queen. Cleopatra vii philopator was the last active ruler of the ptolemaic kingdom of egypt, nominally.
This is a limited view, though, as she was so much more that this book can barely contain the varied spirit of her. Daughter of the nile is a fictional diary written by kristiana gregory about the. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to rome. Its a light, yet indepth look at cleopatras life, politics, and legend. Cleopatra writ a booke of the preseruation of womens beauty. 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. In shakespeares time, women were not allowed to appear on stage, and so female parts were played by boy actors. The book was also released in mon histoire and my royal story. Antony and cleopatra is a tragedy by william shakespeare. After hearing of his wifes death and a rebellion against rome, antony returns home with a renewed sense of duty.
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. Aimed at readers ages 810, this is an excellent historical reference in a biographicalautobiographical hybrid format. 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. 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. They happen, however, to have been julius caesar and mark antony, among the most prominent romans of the day.
Discover facts about the egyptian ruler, cleopatra who is celebrated for her beauty and love affairs with julius caesar and mark antony. The last queen of egypt was a lover of julius caesar and marc antony and a brilliant ruler in her own right. 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. The book describes the turbulent times in which she lived very well and the sounds and. The play was first performed, by the kings men, at either the blackfriars theatre or the globe. List of books and articles about cleopatra online research. Rollers authoritative account is the first to be based. They were married in 36 bc most of the romans feared and hated cleopatra, and octavian later augustus undertook to destroy the two lovers.
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. 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. The book did not bring the vibrancy of this time period to life. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. 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. 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. The history and culture of ancient egypt, as shared by this book, are part of what disturb me, however. 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. Cleopatras life story, gleaned from contemporary sources, is powerfully intriguing. 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. 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. The pulitzer prizewinning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world. 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.
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 story starts in 1958, when wanger was hired by. In the kindle edition of the book which i read, 70% is the book and 30% covers the bibliography. Mark antony, one of the three rulers of rome, has been carrying on an affair with cleopatra, the queen of egypt. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue.
The young princess of egypt, cleopatra vii, travels to rome with her father, king. I am cleopatra will follow her journey from its illustrious beginning to its tragic end. 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. Highly commended in the longman history today new generation book award. 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. By philippe sollers, translated by armine kotin mortimer. Antony and cleopatra are among historys most famous lovers. She is famed for her savvy political alliances with julius caesar and. Much has been written of my beauty, but i was also known for my composure, wit, and strength. I want to go back and read this book again and it is very readable. Octavian caesar cleopatra arsinoe iv the conflicts of cleopatra vii fun facts julius caesar mark antony ptolemy xiii cleopatra murdered two of her.