On a whim, I read Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault. It was her first book based on the life of Alexander the Great, covering the period from his early childhood until his father (King Phillip of Macedon) died. Alexander eventually vanquished the High King Darius of Persia and ruled a vast empire until his death at age 33. He ended his wars of conquest because his soldiers refused to go beyond the Indus River into the Indian subcontinent.
If you are curious about the ancient world but intimidated by “the classics”, this is a way to get started. Several of Renault’s books impressed me when I read them 40 years ago. Fire From Heaven did not disappoint me. Renault also wrote two non-fiction books about Alexander and the Persian Wars.
To me, the most interesting aspect of Fire From Heaven is young Alexander’s education. His father was portrayed as a Macedonian who passionately admired Athens and wished to be “accepted” as overlord of Greece. Phillip hired the philosopher Aristotle to tutor Alexander. Perhaps this is what allowed him to develop into a leader who was greatly loved, rather than merely being feared.
Renault was born in England but spent the later half of her life in South Africa, where her lesbianism was more socially accepted. Her literary treatment of homosexual love in the ancient world is probably more sympathetic and respectful than most other authors.
Courtesy of Wikipedia, I learned that Renault (who died in 1983 at the age of 78) wrote six contemporary novels between1939 and 1953 before she concentrated on the ancient world. I look forward to exploring them.
AMG Reading Journal 