The Praise Singer
by Mary Renault
In her latest novel of ancient Greece, Mary Renault turns to the world of the poet—the bard who since the time of Homer had sung his verses from memory for the occasions of the court. This is the life of Simonides, who lived in sixth-century Greece during the time of the tyrants, the Persian wars, and a great flowering of the arts. With her usual brilliance, Mary Renault builds on the little source material available and transforms it into a marvelously rich and full re-creation of the world of ancient art.
It is on Keos that the boy Simonides follows a sign from Apollo and finds his master and teacher, Kleobis the bard. He accompanies him to Samos, where, amidst the rich and colorful life of that sumptuous island, he carries out his apprenticeship. After the death of Kleobis, he goes to Athens to the court of the Pisistratids under the patronage of Hipparchos, who gathers to him a glittering group of artists of all kinds. Tyrants in only the ancient sense of the word, the Pisistratids had come to power as the people's friends, and they seem so to the Athenians almost to the end, when Hipparchos's folly precipitates murder by Harmodios and Aristogeiton and the court's eventual fall from power. Simonides once again survives upheaval and finally retires to Sicily, where he looks back over his long and eventful life.
Mary Renault has again worked her magic to re-create a landscape of ancient history filled with the living substance of passions, politics, and poetry.
It is on Keos that the boy Simonides follows a sign from Apollo and finds his master and teacher, Kleobis the bard. He accompanies him to Samos, where, amidst the rich and colorful life of that sumptuous island, he carries out his apprenticeship. After the death of Kleobis, he goes to Athens to the court of the Pisistratids under the patronage of Hipparchos, who gathers to him a glittering group of artists of all kinds. Tyrants in only the ancient sense of the word, the Pisistratids had come to power as the people's friends, and they seem so to the Athenians almost to the end, when Hipparchos's folly precipitates murder by Harmodios and Aristogeiton and the court's eventual fall from power. Simonides once again survives upheaval and finally retires to Sicily, where he looks back over his long and eventful life.
Mary Renault has again worked her magic to re-create a landscape of ancient history filled with the living substance of passions, politics, and poetry.
FICTION_GENERAL
RELEASED1978
PUBLISHERPantheon
LENGTH290
LANGUAGEEN
Eileen Mary Challans (4 September 1905 – 13 December 1983), known by her pen name Mary Renault (/ˈrɛnoʊlt/), was an English writer best known for her historical novels set in ancient Greece. Born in Forest Gate in 1905, she attended St Hugh's College, Oxford, from 1924 until 1928. After graduating from St Hugh's with a Third Class in English, she worked as a nurse and began writing her first novels, which were contemporary romances. In 1948, she moved to South Africa with her partner Julie Mullard, where she spent the rest of her life. Living in South Africa allowed her to write about openly gay characters without fearing the censorship and homophobia of England. She devoted herself to writing historical fiction in the 1950s, which were also her most successful books. She is best known for her historical fiction today. Renault's works are often rooted in themes related to love, sexuality and relationships. Her books attracted a large gay following at the time of their publication, when few mainstream works depicted homosexuality in a positive light. Her work has had a generally positive reception by critics. She has received numerous awards and honours, both during her lifetime and posthumously. [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Renault)
The Praise Singer
by Mary Renault
In her latest novel of ancient Greece, Mary Renault turns to the world of the poet—the bard who since the time of Homer had sung his verses from memory for the occasions of the court. This is the life of Simonides, who lived in sixth-century Greece during the time of the tyrants, the Persian wars, and a great flowering of the arts. With her usual brilliance, Mary Renault builds on the little source material available and transforms it into a marvelously rich and full re-creation of the world of ancient art.
It is on Keos that the boy Simonides follows a sign from Apollo and finds his master and teacher, Kleobis the bard. He accompanies him to Samos, where, amidst the rich and colorful life of that sumptuous island, he carries out his apprenticeship. After the death of Kleobis, he goes to Athens to the court of the Pisistratids under the patronage of Hipparchos, who gathers to him a glittering group of artists of all kinds. Tyrants in only the ancient sense of the word, the Pisistratids had come to power as the people's friends, and they seem so to the Athenians almost to the end, when Hipparchos's folly precipitates murder by Harmodios and Aristogeiton and the court's eventual fall from power. Simonides once again survives upheaval and finally retires to Sicily, where he looks back over his long and eventful life.
Mary Renault has again worked her magic to re-create a landscape of ancient history filled with the living substance of passions, politics, and poetry.
It is on Keos that the boy Simonides follows a sign from Apollo and finds his master and teacher, Kleobis the bard. He accompanies him to Samos, where, amidst the rich and colorful life of that sumptuous island, he carries out his apprenticeship. After the death of Kleobis, he goes to Athens to the court of the Pisistratids under the patronage of Hipparchos, who gathers to him a glittering group of artists of all kinds. Tyrants in only the ancient sense of the word, the Pisistratids had come to power as the people's friends, and they seem so to the Athenians almost to the end, when Hipparchos's folly precipitates murder by Harmodios and Aristogeiton and the court's eventual fall from power. Simonides once again survives upheaval and finally retires to Sicily, where he looks back over his long and eventful life.
Mary Renault has again worked her magic to re-create a landscape of ancient history filled with the living substance of passions, politics, and poetry.
FICTION_GENERAL
RELEASED1978
PUBLISHERPantheon
LENGTH290
LANGUAGEEN
Eileen Mary Challans (4 September 1905 – 13 December 1983), known by her pen name Mary Renault (/ˈrɛnoʊlt/), was an English writer best known for her historical novels set in ancient Greece. Born in Forest Gate in 1905, she attended St Hugh's College, Oxford, from 1924 until 1928. After graduating from St Hugh's with a Third Class in English, she worked as a nurse and began writing her first novels, which were contemporary romances. In 1948, she moved to South Africa with her partner Julie Mullard, where she spent the rest of her life. Living in South Africa allowed her to write about openly gay characters without fearing the censorship and homophobia of England. She devoted herself to writing historical fiction in the 1950s, which were also her most successful books. She is best known for her historical fiction today. Renault's works are often rooted in themes related to love, sexuality and relationships. Her books attracted a large gay following at the time of their publication, when few mainstream works depicted homosexuality in a positive light. Her work has had a generally positive reception by critics. She has received numerous awards and honours, both during her lifetime and posthumously. [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Renault)
