The Nature of Alexander
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The Nature of Alexander (1975) is the only nonfiction work by celebrated novelist Mary Renault (1905-1983).
The book is a biography of King Alexander the Great, ruler of Macedon, Egypt, Persia, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Mesopotamia, Pakistan and other lands. Renault wrote several novels in which Alexander appears: The Mask of Apollo (1966), Fire From Heaven (1969), The Persian Boy (1972), and Funeral Games (1981). She felt these were not enough to tell the whole story of Alexander, and so she completed her nonfiction biography.
The book makes no attempt to be impartial or neutral, but rather unabashedly advocates Alexander as a truly great man. For example, she rejects the usual terminology of the "murder" of Kleitos, pointing out that legally, "murder" refers only to a killing with premeditation, which absolutely was not the case when the King killed Kleitos in a drunken brawl, after much drink and much provocation. She also points out that the beauty of the mummy of Alexander was still much admired even many generations after his death. She refutes many slurs against Alexander, both ancient and modern. The hardcover edition is beautifully illustrated.
[edit] Editions
- Pantheon Books (1975) ISBN 0-394-49113-0
