January 04, 2009

Reviewed By Mehreen F. Ali
 

One of the worst things about studying history at school is having to memorise the facts — dates and names, places, empires and civilisations. Indeed, in the quest to enlighten ourselves, we more often than not end up fumbling around in the dark, eventually ending up hating history or rather, the manner in which it is taught.

Our fears tend to chase us into adulthood as well, which is why most people who avoid history also tend to stay away from biographies, autobiographies and historical books while developing their reading palette. There is little surprise therefore when readers, young and old alike tilt more towards fiction rather than fact, and forego the wondrous stories of our past.

Truth be told, to write a genuinely appealing book of history is no mean feat; there are very few authors who can vividly paint the pictures of times bygone in words. And so when one came across Alexander the Great: Journey to the End of the Earth — a fairly young publication by Norman F. Cantor — the contents sprang to life by a rather pleasant surprise.

What is even more surprising perhaps is that the book looks rather like a short fiction paperback; there is nothing ominous or serious about its packaging, which makes you want to pick it up and flick through as if it were a story book. Even more pleasing is the fact that it also reads rather like a story book, indeed, the way all good history books should read.

The opening lines are almost words of reflex — ‘Recent events in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan have drawn our attention again to Alexander the Great.’ And there you have it: the perfect reason to read on about what N. F. Cantor has to say in this ‘critical and well-rounded assessment of the man and the world in which he lived.’

The book begins with an overview of the Greek world and its two sub-divisions: the Heroic Age (1300-800 BCE) and the Archaic Age (800-500 BCE). The former is associated famously with the Trojan War and Homer’s works, The Illiad and The Odyssey, while the latter is associated with classic Greece — the rise of Athens, the building of the Parthenon and the fall out between Persia and Greece that saw the rise of Alexander the Great.

In the initial pages of the book, the author lays out the circumstances that surrounded the world in which Alexander was born and brought up. This makes for a good introduction, especially with a holistic discussion on the cultures and norms of the cities of Athens and Sparta — the former being democratic and the latter a fearsome, military state.

Moving forward from 450 BCE, Cantor talks about the great divide within the arts that reflected the Greek society’s points of view as well: the tragic dramatists and those that placed rational reasoning as an alternative to violence. There are references to Plato and Aristotle and their stark outlooks on society: Plato’s Spartan stance on matters and Aristotle’s liberal position in similar matters.

 

The author lays out the circumstances that surrounded the world in which Alexander was born and brought up. This makes for a good introduction, especially with a holistic discussion on the cultures and norms of the cities of Athens and Sparta — the former being democratic and the latter a fearsome, military state.

 

If these appear to be the contents of any other history book, what sets Cantor’s work apart is the brazen critique on certain Greek norms: slavery, homosexuality and paedophilia. As he slowly builds the tempo towards the birth of Alexander, it is clear to see the dichotomous values in which he came into this world: ‘a product of violent, passionate parents and a student of that paragon of reason, Aristotle.’

Alexander was born in the kingdom of Macedonia, a wealthy country with a rich infantry similar to that of Sparta. Homosexuality and polygamy were widespread and women had no power whatsoever. Thus revealing layer after layer of the Macedonian society, Cantor tries to explain in his own unique way the enigmatic behaviour and peerless conquests of Alexander the Great.

The second chapter is an intimate insight into Alexander’s personality, enriched with captivating anecdotes like those of Alexander’s horse, Bucephalus and his relationship with his tutor, Aristotle. What makes it such an easy read is the fact that there is no bombardment of dates, names and places to burden the reader. The easy flow of words allows one to truly absorb and visualise the picture painted within the pages.

It is not until the third chapter, nearly halfway into the book, that Cantor sets about discussing the actual conquests that made Alexander into Alexander the Great. But apart from the actual conquests, Cantor puts down in significant detail the personal highs, lows, tribulations as well as callousness of Alexander while in battle.

Later, we learn about the fall of Alexander at the young age of 33 years on June 10, 323 BCE, followed by a critique on how great Alexander in actuality. Taking references from various writers, Cantor paints a vivid yet impartial image of the great conqueror, concluding that ‘regardless of his flaws, and they were many, he is seen as great because of who he was, not necessarily for what he did.’

 

Journey to the End of the Earth is a thoroughly engrossing and highly recommended read.
Alexander the Great: Journey to the End of the Earth
By Norman F. Cantor
HarperCollins, New York
ISBN 978-0060570121
192pp. $21.95