Some Talk of Alexander
A Journey Through Space and Time in the Greek World
Frederic Raphael
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| ‘Tremendous … this personal, erudite, witty and fascinating exploration of the Greek world is super-abundantly rich in sagacity and insight. It is also a labour of love – and it shows’ | – William Boyd’s
‘Book of the Year’,
The Observer |
| 'Compelling, insightful and engaging … throughout, his sense of humour is busily at work … the pictures are excellent and fully integrated into the plot’ | | – The Sunday Times |
| ‘A freefall reading experience that is both liberating and mesmeric … readers should cocoon themselves in this charismatic book’ | | – BBC History |
'Some Talk of Alexander' is a private odyssey through the art, poetry, politics, warfare and the men and women of the Greek world. Raphael’s book is a deliberate amalgam, in which the interplay of myth and reason, high ideals and low cunning are seen to work together in the plaited texture of ancient society.
Taking examples from different times and places, Raphael depicts the genius and the folly, the heroism and the deviousness of the birthplace of European civilization. Having lived in the Cyclades in the 1960s, he also recalls the harsh, idyllic life of a Greece untouched by mass tourism, and the infamous Colonels, whose modern tyranny ended in shambles and the return of democracy.
Frederic Raphael is one of the most prolific authors of our time. He has written screenplays, novels, short stories, translations (from Greek and Latin), essays, biographies and memoirs. He won an Oscar in 1965 for his screenplay Darling and has had great success with the films Far From the Madding Crowd and Two for the Road. On television, his writing credits include After the War and the acclaimed serialization of his novel, The Glittering Prizes, which he has also adapted for radio.
Also of interest:
The Gods of the Greeks
The Heroes of the Greeks
The Archaeology of Nostalgia:
How the Greeks Re-created their Mythical Past
The Complete World of Greek Mythology
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|  |  | | | | ISBN 0500512884 | | ISBN-13 978-0500512883 | | | | 23.4 x 16.2 cm | | Hardback | | 336pp | | 106 illustrations | | First published 2006 | | | | £24.95 | | | |  | | | | 
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