Cleopatra: A Life
In this extensive biography of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, Stacy Schiff delves into both the reality and the myth surrounding her reign. Covering Cleopatra's childhood and adolescence, deft political maneuvering, her two marriages (both to her own brothers), and the wars she waged in defense of her throne, this in-depth look at Cleopatra's life also encompasses a broad overview of life in Ancient Rome.
Quote:
"The vanity extended most of all to his library, arguably the real love of Cicero's life. It is difficult to name anything in which he took more pleasure, aside possibly evasion of the sumptuary laws. Cicero liked to believe himself wealthy. He prided himself on his books. He needed no further reason to dislike Cleopatra: intelligent women who had better libraries than he did offended him on three counts.”
Author:
Stacy Schiff's books include Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), Cleopatra: A Life, and The Witches: Salem, 1692. She lives in New York City and has written for the Boston Globe, The New Yorker, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.
Published: 2006
Length: 306 pages
Set in: Egypt