The Mask of Apollo

The Mask of Apollo

Infobox Book
name = The Mask of Apollo
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = First edition, 1966
author = Mary Renault
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series =
subject =
genre = Historical fiction
publisher = Longmans, Green & Co, London; Pantheon, New York
release_date = 1966
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback)
pages =
isbn = 0-09-946941-3 / 978-0-09-946941-4 (Arrow paperback UK 2004 edition)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

The Mask of Apollo is a historical novel written by Mary Renault. It is set in ancient Greece shortly after the Peloponnesian War. The story involves the world of live theatre and political intrigue in the Mediterranean at the time. The narrator, Nikeratos, is an invented character, but real historical figures such as Dion of Syracuse and Plato make appearances.

Plot introduction

Nikeratos is a successful professional actor, and the author vividly evokes the technologies and traditions of classic Greek Tragedy. There are detailed recreations of what might have been involved in the staging of a theatrical production of the time, describing the music, scenery, mechanical special effects devices, and especially the practice of the three main actors sharing the various roles in a performance, along with authentic gossip involved in these casting decisions.

Nikeratos befriends Dion, a moderate politician, who entrusts him with conveying sensitive documents between Athens and the powerful but unstable city-state of Syracuse. Dion is trying to bring stability and democracy to the transitional government there, but the young heir to the tyrant of the city, Dionysius the Younger, instead attempts ineptly to apply Plato’s theories of an ideal republic, with disastrous results.

External links

* [http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Renault/mask.synopsis.html Synopsis from book cover]
* [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/mary-renault/mask-of-apollo.htm "The Mask of Apollo" at Fantastic Fiction]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Mask of Orpheus — is an opera with music by Harrison Birtwistle and a libretto by Peter Zinovieff. It was premiered in London on May 21, 1986 to great critical acclaim. A recorded version conducted by Andrew Davis has also received good reviews. The work is around …   Wikipedia

  • The Firebrand — by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1986)Kassandra, the tortured prophetess daughter of Priam, receives little page time in Homer’s Iliad, but in The Firebrand, a 1986 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Kassandra is placed center stage in the saga of Troy.… …   Wikipedia

  • The Nature of Alexander — (1975) is the only nonfiction work by celebrated novelist Mary Renault (1905 1983).The book is a biography of King Alexander the Great, ruler of Macedon, Egypt, Israel, Persia, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Mesopotamia, Pakistan and other lands …   Wikipedia

  • Apollo Guidance Computer — and DSKY Invented by MIT Instrumentation Laboratory Manufacturer Raytheon Introduced August 1966 …   Wikipedia

  • Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages — The Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages [ [http://history.nasa.gov/ap11 35ann/goodwill messages.html Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages at NASA] ] are statements from leaders of 73 countries around the world on a disc about the size of a 50 cent piece made of… …   Wikipedia

  • The opera corpus — is a list of nearly 2,500 works by more than 775 individual opera composers. Some of the works listed below are still being performed today   but many are not. The principal works of the major composers are given as well as those of historical… …   Wikipedia

  • The Chumscrubber — Theatrical release poster Directed by Arie Posin Produced by Lawrence Bend …   Wikipedia

  • The Clouds — This article is about the play by Aristophanes. For other uses, see Cloud (disambiguation). The Clouds Strepsiades, his son and Socrates (from a 16th Century engraving). The Dramatis Personae in ancient comedy depends on interpretation of textual …   Wikipedia

  • Cultural depictions of Alexander the Great — Alexander the Great s accomplishments and legacy have been preserved and depicted in many ways. Alexander has figured in works of both high and popular culture from his own era to the modern day. Contents 1 Ancient and Medieval Literature 1.1 In… …   Wikipedia

  • 1966 in the United Kingdom — yearbox in?= in the United Kingdom cp=19th century c=20th century cf=21st century yp1=1963 yp2=1964 yp3=1965 year=1966 ya1=1967 ya2=1968 ya3=1969 dp3=1930s dp2=1940s dp1=1950s d=1960s dn1=1970s dn2=1980s dn3=1990s Events from the year 1966 in the …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”