- Start
- Product
Hercules
Scenes from a Heroic Life
Alastair Blanshard(Author)
Granta Books (Publisher)
Published on 3. October 2005
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-86207-653-2 (ISBN)
Description
From Ovid and Virgil to the muscle beaches of Malibu, Hercules has made an indelible impression on western culture Hercules is the original hero: half-god, half-man; strong, handsome and virile; triumphant in his twelve labours yet ultimately victim of his tragic destiny. He has been variously portrayed for thousands of years in sculpture, painting, and verse, and more recently depicted on stage and screen. Roman emperors, renaissance princes, and totalitarian dictators have all attempted to appropriate his image. This unconventional biography of Hercules charts his life from his dramatic birth in Thebes to his agonizing death on a flaming pyre. Along the way, it recounts many long-forgotten yet revealing adventures and shows Hercules to be much more than just a muscle-bound hero. His life story, which mixes elements of tragedy and comedy, often makes uncomfortable reading: a rapist, drunkard, and transvestite, Hercules' excesses explore some of the darkest recesses of human nature.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 142 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-86207-653-2 (9781862076532)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Person
Alastair Blanshard is a Greek cultural historian who has taught classics at the universities of Oxford and Reading. He has recently taken up a position at the University of Sydney. This is his first book.