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Sto caricando le informazioni... The Praise Singer (originale 1978; edizione 2003)di Mary Renault (Autore)
Informazioni sull'operaThe Praise Singer di Mary Renault (Author) (1978)
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![]() Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. ![]() ![]() Renault has a beautiful way with descriptions of land and society, and effectively creates the social, political, and geographic climate of ancient Greece, particularly ancient Athens, in this novel. Her willingness to leave her hero in the dark is one of the ways she does this so effectively. As a poet, Simonides would have been hyperaware of the court's status, but not necessarily high enough to know all the secrets of the tyrants. It is this exchange of information, and the way Simonides collects and responds to this information, which make her rendition of the social setting so persuasive. The arc of Simonides' travel, which structures the book into sections by his geographic location, is also very effective, as the reader follows him in growing knowledge of the Athenian climate from his ignorant rural boyhood to favor and acceptance for his talent. A joyous read. Though a bit dated, this book gave both an excellent feel for the pre-Persian wars Aegean, and also very nice reading. My only qualm is with her use of the words 'thrall' and 'knight,' which pulled me out of the novel. Her foreshadowing and phrasing were wonderful. I certainly felt that I was there, and had full sympathy for the main characters. In service to community, ShiraDestinie William James MEOW Date: Monday, July 16. 12014 H.E. (Holocene Era) "The Praise Singer" is Mary Renault’s take on the life of Simonides, a real lyric poet who lived in Ancient Greece from 556 BC to approximately 468 BC, a fairly hefty life span for that period in time. Details of his early life and family are sketchy, which gives the opportunity for a good historical fiction writer like Ms. Renault to imagine those details, keeping in mind whatever knowledge historians have about the period in question. Most of the characters in this book were also real people; only close associates such as housekeepers, courtesans and pupils are invented by the author. I won’t go into the details of the story, which essentially covers about the first half of Simonides’ life, except to say that he was present for a lot of events that occurred during that time, both politically and socially, and Ms. Renault does a great job of taking the information historians have about those events and filling in the details. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, particularly fiction about Ancient Greece, you probably have run across this author before (I believe she was most active from the 1950s to early 1980s, in terms of her historical fiction at least); if you’re not a fan but are curious about life in the ancient world, her work is a good starting place. My only quibble with this particular novel is that it ends quite abruptly; still, it’s quite impressive and definitely recommended. nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
Appartiene alle Collane EditorialiVirago Modern Classics (638) MenzioniElenchi di rilievo
In the story of the great lyric poet Simonides, Mary Renault brings alive a time in Greece when tyrants kept an unsteady rule and poetry, music, and royal patronage combined to produce a flowering of the arts. Born into a stern farming family on the island of Keos, Simonides escapes his harsh childhood through a lucky apprenticeship with a renowned Ionian singer. As they travel through 5th century B.C. Greece, Simonides learns not only how to play the kithara and compose poetry, but also how to navigate the shifting alliances surrounding his rich patrons. He is witness to the Persian invasion of Ionia, to the decadent reign of the Samian pirate king Polykrates, and to the fall of the Pisistratids in the Athenian court. Along the way, he encounters artists, statesmen, athletes, thinkers, and lovers, including the likes of Pythagoras and Aischylos. Using the singer's unique perspective, Renault combines her vibrant imagination and her formidable knowledge of history to establish a sweeping, resilient vision of a golden century. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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![]() GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)823.9Literature English English fiction Modern PeriodClassificazione LCVotoMedia:![]()
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