The Search for Cleopatra

Michael Foss

Jan 2014 · Michael O'Mara Books

About this ebook

The myths surrounding Cleopatra are so vast and so contradictory that it is difficult to separate the real woman from the legend. For centuries she has been portrayed as an Asian femme fatale, the entrapping seductress of both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, and as a stunningly beautiful and ruthless queen who used her sexual wiles to subvert the course of Roman rule. In this biography, Michael Foss looks at the myths and then beyond, using fresh research to bring to life the historical Cleopatra. What emerges in vivid detail is the image of a woman with physical grace and appeal, whose mind and political acumen were a match for Rome's mighty rulers. The Search for Cleopatra offers a portrait of one of the most absorbing and intriguing figures of all history.

Ratings and reviews

A surprisingly readable narrative biography taking the reader through 300+ years of history from Alexander the great to Nero, with Cleopatra at the center of it all. Easy to read, informative and enjoyable.

About the author

Michael Foss was born in India in 1937 and educated in England and America. He has travelled widely and, after a spell as a lecturer at an American university, he settled in London and took up writing full time. His books include Out of India, The Road Taken, Looking for the Last Big Tree, Tudor Lives, The Founding of the Jesuits, Undreamed Shores, On Tour: The British Traveller in Europe, Poetry of the World Wars, Gods and Heroes: The Story of Greek Mythology, The World of Camelot, Celtic Myths and Legends and People of the First Crusade. He won the J. R. Ackerley prize for Out of India in 2002.