Alexander the Great: A Life in Legend
Who was Alexander? An unsympathetic, cursory reading of the bare facts could paint him as a megalomaniac whose character was warped by his dysfunctional family. Of course, there are other perceptions of him: he was a military genius with a rare vision of uniting the Persian and Greek worlds; he was a romantic and chivalrous conqueror with a gift for winning over enemies with grand gestures. These perceptions are largely the result of a sustained process of mythmaking, which was initiated by Alexander himself and continued for centuries after his death. Stoneman, a classicist, has examined the sources and processes that created these myths in a well-written and beautifully illustrated book. He shows how various cultures—Egyptian, Persian, British, and Greek—adopted, modified, and exaggerated historical sources to create their own versions of Alexander to suit their concepts of the heroic ideal. This is an unusual and thought-provoking book that should appeal to both Alexander buffs and well-informed general readers. --Jay Freeman