Alexandria

Popular Alexandria Books

15+ [Hand Picked] Popular Books On Alexandria


4.5/5

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and–after his murder–three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imaginations ever since. Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way, Cleopatra’s supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff ‘s is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life.
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4.1/5

Flow Down Like Silver: Hypatia of Alexandria by Ki Longfellow

Ki Longfellow, author of the acclaimed The Secret Magdalene, has now written the astonishing life of Hypatia, famed throughout the Mediterranean world, a beauty and a genius, yet for 17 centuries ignored by history. As the Roman Empire fights for its life and emerging Christianity fights for our souls, Hypatia is the last great voice of reason. A woman of sublime intellige Ki Longfellow, author of the acclaimed The Secret Magdalene, has now written the astonishing life of Hypatia, famed throughout the Mediterranean world, a beauty and a genius, yet for 17 centuries ignored by history. As the Roman Empire fights for its life and emerging Christianity fights for our souls, Hypatia is the last great voice of reason. A woman of sublime intelligence, Hypatia ranks above not only all women, but all men. Hypatia dazzled the world with her brilliance, was courted by men of every persuasion and was considered the leading philosopher and mathematician of her age...yet her mathematics, her inventions, the very story of her life in all its epic and dramatic intensity, has gone untold. A heart-breaking love story, an heroic struggle against intolerance, a tragedy and a triumph, Hypatia walks through these pages fully realized while all around her Egypt's Alexandria, the New York City of its day, strives to remain a beacon of light in a darkening world.
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4.1/5

Justine by Lawrence Durrell

The time is the eve of the Second World War. The place is Alexandria, an Egyptian city that once housed the world's greatest library and whose inhabitants are still dedicated to knowledge. But for the obsessed and purblind characters in this mesmerizing first novel of the Alexandria Quartet, the pursuit of knowledge leads to no library, only to the bedrooms in which each s The time is the eve of the Second World War. The place is Alexandria, an Egyptian city that once housed the world's greatest library and whose inhabitants are still dedicated to knowledge. But for the obsessed and purblind characters in this mesmerizing first novel of the Alexandria Quartet, the pursuit of knowledge leads to no library, only to the bedrooms in which each seeks to know - and possess - the other. Since its publication in 1957, "Justine" has inspired an almost religious devotion among readers and critics. It is not so much a book as it is a self-contained universe, constructed by one of the most elegant and formidably intelligent minds in contemporary fiction.
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4.3/5

The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell

Lawrence Durrell's series of four novels set in Alexandria, Egypt during the 1940s. The lush and sensuous series consists of Justine(1957) Balthazar(1958) Mountolive(1958) Clea(1960). Justine, Balthazar and Mountolive use varied viewpoints to relate a series of events in Alexandria before World War II. In Clea, the story continues into the years during the war. One L.G. Dar Lawrence Durrell's series of four novels set in Alexandria, Egypt during the 1940s. The lush and sensuous series consists of Justine(1957) Balthazar(1958) Mountolive(1958) Clea(1960). Justine, Balthazar and Mountolive use varied viewpoints to relate a series of events in Alexandria before World War II. In Clea, the story continues into the years during the war. One L.G. Darley is the primary observer of the events, which include events in the lives of those he loves, and those he knows. In Justine, Darley attempts to recover from and put into perspective his recently ended affair with a woman. Balthazar reinterprets the romantic perspective he placed on the affair and its aftermath in Justine, in more philosophical and intellectual terms. Mountolive tells a story minus interpretation, and Clea reveals Darley's healing, and coming to love another woman.
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4.8/5

الإسكندرية في غيمة by إبراهيم عبد المجيد

"الإسكندرية في غيمة" هي الجزء الثالث من ثلاثية الإسكندرية لإبراهيم عبد المجيد، التي تختلف عما هو معروف عن الثلاثيات. فليس هنا أبطال يواصلون رحلتهم إلا قليلاً، لكن هنا مدينة عظيمة في ثلاث نقط تحول كبرى في تاريخها؛ الرواية الأولى "لا أحد ينام في الإسكندرية" عن المدينة العالمية أثناء الحرب العالمية الثانية، وكيف هي مدينة التسامح بين الأديان والأجناس ومعاناة المصريين تحت الحرب "الإسكندرية في غيمة" هي الجزء الثالث من ثلاثية الإسكندرية لإبراهيم عبد المجيد، التي تختلف عما هو معروف عن الثلاثيات. فليس هنا أبطال يواصلون رحلتهم إلا قليلاً، لكن هنا مدينة عظيمة في ثلاث نقط تحول كبرى في تاريخها؛ الرواية الأولى "لا أحد ينام في الإسكندرية" عن المدينة العالمية أثناء الحرب العالمية الثانية، وكيف هي مدينة التسامح بين الأديان والأجناس ومعاناة المصريين تحت الحرب. الثانية "طيور العنبر" عن المدينة بعد حرب السويس 1956، والخروج الكبير للأجانب والتحول لتكون المدينة مصرية فقط وتتغير كثير من ثقافتها. وهذه الرواية عن المدينة في سبعينيات القرن الماضي، وكيف ظهرت في المدينة موجة جديدة من الفكر المتطرف دينياً تحالف مع النظام السياسي، لتتخلى المدينة عن روحها المصرية وتتغير فيها الأمكنة وعادات الناس؛ ويتراجع فيها التسامح وتودع روحها المصرية وما بقي من روحها الكوزموبوليتانية. الأعمال الثلاثة تشكل ثلاثية عن المدينة في تجليات مختلفة، لذلك يمكن قراءتها متتابعة، يمكن أيضاً قراءة كل رواية مستقلة عن الأخرى.
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4/5

لا أحد ينام في الإسكندرية by إبراهيم عبد المجيد , Ibrahim Abdel Meguid

البحر المتوسط بحر صغير للغاية، إن عظمته وامتداد تاريخه يجعلاننا نتخيله أكبر مما هو عليه الاّن، إلا أن الإسكندرية لا يقل واقعها عما يمكن تخيله عنها..
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4.1/5

The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Steve Berry’s The Emperor’s Tomb and a Cotton Malone dossier. Cotton Malone retired from the high-risk world of elite operatives for the U.S. Justice Department to lead the low-key life of a rare-book dealer. But his quiet existence is shattered when he receives an anonymous e-mail: “You have something I want. You’ re the only p BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Steve Berry’s The Emperor’s Tomb and a Cotton Malone dossier. Cotton Malone retired from the high-risk world of elite operatives for the U.S. Justice Department to lead the low-key life of a rare-book dealer. But his quiet existence is shattered when he receives an anonymous e-mail: “You have something I want. You’ re the only person on earth who knows where to find it. Go get it. You have 72 hours. If I don’t hear from you, you will be childless.” His horrified ex-wife confirms that the threat is real: Their teenage son has been kidnapped. When Malone’s Copenhagen bookshop is burned to the ground, it becomes brutally clear that those responsible will stop at nothing to get what they want. And what they want is nothing less than the lost Library of Alexandria. A cradle of ideas–historical, philosophical, literary, scientific, and religious–the Library of Alexandria was unparalleled in the world. But fifteen hundred years ago, it vanished into the mists of myth and legend–its vast bounty of wisdom coveted ever since by scholars, fortune hunters, and those who believe its untold secrets hold the key to ultimate power. Now a cartel of wealthy international moguls, bent on altering the course of history, is desperate to breach the library’s hallowed halls–and only Malone possesses the information they need to succeed. At stake is an explosive ancient document with the potential not only to change the destiny of the Middle East but to shake the world’s three major religions to their very foundations. Pursued by a lethal mercenary, Malone crosses the globe in search of answers. His quest will lead him to England and Portugal, even to the highest levels of American government–and the shattering outcome, deep in the Sinai desert, will have worldwide repercussions.
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4.3/5

The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind by Justin Pollard , Howard Reid

The astonishing story of the ancient city that invented the modern world Founded by Alexander the Great and built by Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age—legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual fluorescence it The astonishing story of the ancient city that invented the modern world Founded by Alexander the Great and built by Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age—legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual fluorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the “rebirth” of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace. It was here mankind first discovered that the earth was not flat, originated atomic theory, invented geometry, systematized grammar, translated the Old Testament into Greek, built the steam engine, and passed their discoveries on to future generations via the written word. Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra, Jewish scholars, Greek philosophers, and devout early Christians all play a part in the rise and fall of the city that stood “at the conjunction of the whole world.” Compulsively readable and sparkling with fresh insights into science, philosophy, culture, and invention, this is an irresistible, eye-opening delight.
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3.8/5

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledg Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service. When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn…
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4.7/5

طيور العنبر by إبراهيم عبد المجيد , Ibrahim Abdel Meguid

«طيور العنبر» هي الجزء الثاني من مشروع «ثلاثية الإسكندرية» لإبراهيم عبد المجيد. وبينما تناولت «لا أحد ينام في الإسكندرية» جائزة أحسن رواية في معرض القاهرة الدولي للكتاب عام 1996 تاريخ المدينة خلال الحرب العالمية الثانية، تتناولها «طيور العنبر» غداة إعلان تأميم قناة السويس والعدوان الثلاثي على مصر عام 1956 وخروج الأجانب بالآلاف، وما أحدثه هذا التغيير المفاجئ في التحول شبه ا «طيور العنبر» هي الجزء الثاني من مشروع «ثلاثية الإسكندرية» لإبراهيم عبد المجيد. وبينما تناولت «لا أحد ينام في الإسكندرية» جائزة أحسن رواية في معرض القاهرة الدولي للكتاب عام 1996 تاريخ المدينة خلال الحرب العالمية الثانية، تتناولها «طيور العنبر» غداة إعلان تأميم قناة السويس والعدوان الثلاثي على مصر عام 1956 وخروج الأجانب بالآلاف، وما أحدثه هذا التغيير المفاجئ في التحول شبه الكامل لهذه المدينة الكوزموبوليتانية التي كان يعيش فيها المصريون واليونانيون والإيطاليون والفرنسيون والإنجليز واليهود وغيرهم في تجانس وسلام تام، ولتتحول أسماء شوارعها فجأة من كفافيس وبابادوبلو وهيرودوت إلى عمرو بن العاص وأبو عبيدة بن الجراح وسعد بن أبي وقاص، وشوارع أغاممنون وأخيل ورمولوس وفيلوكتيتس إلى خالد بن الوليد والمثنى بن حارثة الشيباني وموسى بن نصير وطارق بن زياد. إبراهيم عبد المجيد يرصد لحظة تحول كبرى لا رجعة فيها لواحدة من أعظم مدن الشرق، فيها لا يكتب عن الجغرافيا أو التاريخ ولكنه يكشف روح المكان، روح الإسكندرية، روح التحرر وعدم الاستقرار والنزق وروح الحزن والجنون. إبراهيم عبد المجيد كاتب سكندري ولد عام 1946 ودرس الفلسفة. نشر روايته الأولى «في الصيف السابع والستين» عام 1979، وصدر له حتى الآن 12 عملاً روائيًا، وخمس مجموعات قصصية ومسرحية وترجمة وكتاب رحلات. ترجمت العديد من رواياته للإنجليزية والفرنسية والألمانية. حصل في عام 1996 على جائزة نجيب محفوظ في الرواية من الجامعة الأمريكية في القاهرة عن روايته «البلدة الأخري». وفازت روايته «لا أحد ينام في الإسكندرية» بجائزة أحسن رواية في معرض القاهرة الدولي للكتاب عام 1996. كما حصل عام 2004 على جائزة الدولة للتفوق في الآداب.
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3.8/5

The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World by Luciano Canfora , Martin Ryle (translator)

The Library of Alexandria, one of the wonders of the Ancient World, has haunted Western culture for over 2,000 years. The Ptolemaic kings of Egypt—successors of Alexander the Great—had a staggering ambition: to house all of the books ever written under one roof, and the story of the universal library and its destruction still has the power to move us. But what was the libra The Library of Alexandria, one of the wonders of the Ancient World, has haunted Western culture for over 2,000 years. The Ptolemaic kings of Egypt—successors of Alexander the Great—had a staggering ambition: to house all of the books ever written under one roof, and the story of the universal library and its destruction still has the power to move us. But what was the library, and where was it? Did it exist at all? Contemporary descriptions are vague and contradictory. The fate of the precious books themselves is a subject of endless speculation. Canfora resolves these puzzles in one of the most unusual books of classical history ever written. He recreates the world of Egypt and the Greeks in brief chapters that marry the craft of the novelist and the discipline of the historian. Anecdotes, conversations, and reconstructions give The Vanished Library the compulsion of an exotic tale, yet Canfora bases all of them on historical and literary sources, which he discusses with great panache. As the chilling conclusion to this elegant piece of historical detective work he establishes who burned the books. This volume has benefited from the collegial support of The Wake Forest University Studium.
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4.8/5

Balthazar by Lawrence Durrell

Balthazar, is the second volume of Durrell's The Alexandria Quartet, set in Alexandria, Egypt, during the 1940s. The events of each lush and sensuous novel are seen through the eyes of the central character L.G. Darley, who observes the interactions of his lovers, friends, and acquaintances. Balthazar, named for Darley's friend, a doctor and mystic, interprets Darley's vie Balthazar, is the second volume of Durrell's The Alexandria Quartet, set in Alexandria, Egypt, during the 1940s. The events of each lush and sensuous novel are seen through the eyes of the central character L.G. Darley, who observes the interactions of his lovers, friends, and acquaintances. Balthazar, named for Darley's friend, a doctor and mystic, interprets Darley's views from a philosophical and intellectual viewpoint.
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3.8/5

Clea by Lawrence Durrell

The magnificent final volume of one of the most widely acclaimed fictional masterpieces of the postwar era. Few books have been awaited as eagerly as Clea, the sensuous and electrically suspenseful novel that resolves the enigmas of the Alexandria Quartet. Some years and one world war was after his bizarre liaisons with Melissa and Justine, the Irish �migr� Darley becomes e The magnificent final volume of one of the most widely acclaimed fictional masterpieces of the postwar era. Few books have been awaited as eagerly as Clea, the sensuous and electrically suspenseful novel that resolves the enigmas of the Alexandria Quartet. Some years and one world war was after his bizarre liaisons with Melissa and Justine, the Irish �migr� Darley becomes enmeshed with the bisexual artist Clea. That affair not only changes the lovers, it transforms the dead as well, revealing new layers of duplicity and desire, perversity and pathos in Lawrence Durrell's masterly construction. "A massive, marvelously concrete, deeply felt statement of faith. . . . His style glows with the mineral deposits of many cultures. One of the most important works of our time has come to an end."--The New York Times Book Review "Clea rounds out the tetralogy with grace, beauty, and stunning impact. . . . This rich, exciting fare is Durrell's finest writing style, a manner of writing few living authors can equal. . . . A magnificent achievement."--The Detriot News "The reader is carried along on a current of superbly accomplished prose, as flexible and colorful as that of any contemporary writer. . . . What Durrell has given us is well worth having."--San Francisco Chronicle
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4.5/5

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I have a curse I have a gift I am a monster I'm more than human My touch is lethal My touch is power I am their weapon I will fight back Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really car I have a curse I have a gift I am a monster I'm more than human My touch is lethal My touch is power I am their weapon I will fight back Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
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4.5/5

Dune by Frank Herbert

Set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar empire where planetary dynasties are controlled by noble houses that owe an allegiance to the imperial House Corrino, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides (the heir apparent to Duke Leto Atreides and heir of House Atreides) as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source o Set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar empire where planetary dynasties are controlled by noble houses that owe an allegiance to the imperial House Corrino, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides (the heir apparent to Duke Leto Atreides and heir of House Atreides) as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the 'spice' melange, the most important and valuable substance in the cosmos. The story explores the complex, multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion as the forces of the empire confront each other for control of Arrakis. Published in 1965, it won the Hugo Award in 1966 and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. Dune is frequently cited as the world's best-selling sf novel.
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