The Alexander Romance in Persia and the East

In the lands where his empire actually lay, Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was remembered by some as a brutal destroyer and by others as a wise ruler and sage. Classicists, archaeologists, and other scholars explore how the Greek Alexander Romance, translated into various languages over the centuries, has influenced national and religious narratives in Persia and its surround. In sections on the formation of a tradition, perspectives, texts, themes, and images they discuss such topics as mapping the Alexander Romance, adventures of Alexander in Medieval Turkish, history and romance in al-Tabari's tales of Alexander, the kingship of Alexander the Great in the Jewish versions of the narrative, and Oriental imagery and Alexander's legend in art. The 23 papers are from a July 2010 conference in Exeter. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)