Cleopatra
A magical, groundbreaking reimagining of an iconic queen, from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author
‘An extraordinary achievement’ SAMANTHA SHANNON
‘Lush world-building and lyrical prose burn brightly on every page’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘Sensational: Cleopatra as she is meant to be told’ HANNAH KANER
YOU KNOW MY NAME.
BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.
Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love’s thrall.
Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves.
Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children.
How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, divinely blessed to rule.
Death will silence me no longer.
This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.
From one of the most remarkable and acclaimed storytellers of her generation, the #1 bestselling author of FAEBOUND and THE FINAL STRIFE, this epic and groundbreaking new novel shows us Cleopatra on her own terms.
'Saara El-Arifi's lush world-building and lyrical prose invest Cleopatra with a humanity, dignity, power and independence that burn brightly on every page. Her deep love and vast knowledge of her subject shine through, and we see Cleopatra's fascinating life portrayed on her own terms, as readers have never encountered her before' JENNIFER SAINT -
'Few historical figures have been as maligned, romanticised or exoticised as Cleopatra. With this unflinching take on her life and legacy, El-Arifi raises Cleopatra from the sands of time, greets her with profound compassion, and liberates her from the judgement of men, granting her dignity and humanity. An extraordinary achievement’ SAMANTHA SHANNON -
‘Sensational: Cleopatra as she is meant to be told… Saara El-Arifi is true brilliance, and this book cements here even further as one of the most prolific and important writers of the moment' HANNAH KANER -
'Saara El-Arifi seamlessly blends rigorous research with sparkling imagination, bringing to life a Cleopatra broken free from the reductive roles men have forced upon her throughout history. She gives us a woman in all her rich complexity, resulting in a story that is both captivating and deeply moving. I know it will stay with me for a long time' A. S. WEBB -