The Praise Singer (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780375714207)

In the story of the great lyric poet Simonides, Mary Renault brings alive a time in Greece when tyrants kept an unsteady rule and poetry, music, and royal patronage combined to produce a flowering of the arts.

Born into a stern farming family on the island of Keos, Simonides escapes his harsh childhood through a lucky apprenticeship with a renowned Ionian singer. As they travel through 5th century B.C. Greece, Simonides learns not only how to play the kithara and compose poetry, but also how to navigate the shifting alliances surrounding his rich patrons. He is witness to the Persian invasion of Ionia, to the decadent reign of the Samian pirate king Polykrates, and to the fall of the Pisistratids in the Athenian court. Along the way, he encounters artists, statesmen, athletes, thinkers, and lovers, including the likes of Pythagoras and Aischylos. Using the singer's unique perspective, Renault combines her vibrant imagination and her formidable knowledge of history to establish a sweeping, resilient vision of a golden century.

Author: Mary Renault
ISBN-10: 0375714200
ISBN-13: 9780375714207
Publisher: Vintage
Language: English
Published: 04/08/2003
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.41lbs
Size: 8.04h x 5.28w x 0.60d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 08/01/2003 pg. 143