Cleopatra: A Life (Stacy Shiff)

I have read several books and articles about Cleopatra. These include fiction (The Memiors of Cleopatra, by Margaret George) and nonfiction (Cleopatra and Antony, by Diana Preston). Of course, I've seen the movie version with Elizabeth Taylor. And I even watched the mini-series in ABC with Billy Zane as Marc Antony (weird).

I mention this because I want to make the point that I may have read more about this woman than most general readers. Stacy Shiff's book will enlighten most general readers. Her focus lies in Cleopatra's brilliant maneuvering in circumstances that would have bested the most seasoned politician. At the age when most of us now are in college or just trying to figure out what to do with ourselves, she tied her fate to that of the most famous Roman general of her time: Julius Caesar.

She had a vast fortune, and her relationship with Marc Antony--the stuff of legends--made her even wealthier. Most film renditions of her life cut out her three children with Antony. Caesarion always shows up, but only when Caesar recognizes him and towards the end when his mother loses everything. It's easy to forget, then, that Cleopatra had no interest in taking Rome. After all, if she had Caesar's only son, why not try to take over the capital of the nascent empire? Her aim, however, always focused on keeping Egypt independent and a force in the Mediterranean world.

Cleopatra managed to outlive her siblings, no small feat considering the Ptolomys made a nasty habit out of conflicts among family members. This doesn't just mean the normal family drama. The fact that Caesarion never tried to kill his mother and that Cleopatra actually had her son learn about governing made them the exception to the rule.

Schiff's writing makes history interesting. Quite frankly, writers like her keeping coming back to history books. Some writers forget that history has the word "story" in it. Schiff tells Cleopatra's story as accurately as possible while maintaining the excitement of what actual took place. It's really amazing that Cleopatra's story has been embellished so much. As Schiff tells it, the real story is amazing all on it's own.

Next up: Too Much Happiness, by Alice Munro