Nemesis: Alcibiades and the Fall of Athens by David Stuttard (PDF)

Description

Alcibiades was one of the most dazzling figures of the Golden Age of Athens. A ward of Pericles and a friend of Socrates, he was spectacularly rich, bewitchingly handsome and charismatic, a skilled general, and a ruthless politician. He was also a serial traitor, infamous for his dizzying changes of loyalty in the Peloponnesian War. Nemesis tells the story of this extraordinary life and the turbulent world that Alcibiades set out to conquer.David Stuttard recreates ancient Athens at the height of its glory as he follows Alcibiades from childhood to political power. Outraged by Alcibiades’ celebrity lifestyle, his enemies sought every chance to undermine him. Eventually, facing a capital charge of impiety, Alcibiades escaped to the enemy, Sparta. There he traded military intelligence for safety until, suspected of seducing a Spartan queen, he was forced to flee again―this time to Greece’s long-term foes, the Persians. Miraculously, though, he engineered a recall to Athens as Supreme Commander, but―suffering a reversal―he took flight to Thrace, where he lived as a warlord. At last in Anatolia, tracked by his enemies, he died naked and alone in a hail of arrows.As he follows Alcibiades’ journeys crisscrossing the Mediterranean from mainland Greece to Syracuse, Sardis, and Byzantium, Stuttard weaves together the threads of Alcibiades’ adventures against a backdrop of cultural splendor and international chaos. Navigating often contradictory evidence, Nemesis provides a coherent and spellbinding account of a life that has gripped historians, storytellers, and artists for more than two thousand years.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Alcibiades will always be remembered as one of the slipperiest statesmen in history…Nemesis is a rich and rewarding biography, as thorough as it is bracing and as measured as it is entertaining. Stuttard is to be praised for capturing the complexity of both the man and the world he lived in with such sensitivity and clarity.”―Daisy Dunn, New Criterion“Stuttard is skilled at drawing together background information that adds context to his characters’ actions, seamlessly smuggling exposition of Greek and Persian society and customs into his narrative. Nemesis demonstrates how readable and entertaining popular narrative ancient history can be.”―Carol Atack, Times Literary Supplement“Stuttard’s new life of Alcibiades is a lively, fast-paced and eminently readable attempt to bring the insolent young monster back to life.”―Peter Thonemann, Literary Review“[A] robust new biography of Alcibiades.”―Thomas W. Hodgkinson, Spectator“It’s quite the tale, told with rare gusto and precision by David Stuttard―an astute inquisitor of the conflicting sources with an eye for the telling anecdote.”―Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald“Stuttard’s work is laudable especially in its depth and its use of available sources.”―Samuel Ortencio Flores, Bryn Mawr Classical Review“As an entertaining biography of a scoundrel, Nemesis is superb…Stuttard eloquently tells the reader of the rise and fall of a man and his city, who both angered the gods through their acts and attitudes.”―Choice“No one before has come anything like as near as David Stuttard to penetrating the inner recesses of the mainsprings of Alcibiades’ often outrageous, sometimes statesmanlike, always commanding public performances. Dr. Stuttard’s mastery of the ancient sources and his narrative exposition are dazzling throughout, bringing to singing life the mercurial, magnetic, passionate, and persuasive personality of this still hugely controversial Athenian aristocrat of the fifth century BC.”―Paul Cartledge, author of Democracy: A Life“David Stuttard is a recognized expert at making the ancient Greek world come alive for modern audiences. In Nemesis, he conveys the horror and the glory of the years of Athens’ greatness and decline. Central to these processes was the flamboyant Alcibiades, and Stuttard, wearing his learning lightly, gives us a hugely entertaining biography that is simultaneously an exciting adventure story and a pithy history of the period.”―Robin Waterfield, author of Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens: A History of Ancient Greece“Stuttard has offered us a colorful, lively, engaging analysis of one of ancient Greece’s most fascinating and slippery characters: Alcibiades. With deft skill, Stuttard navigates the ancient sources to offer the portrait not simply of a hero, or a villain, but of a man with equal talents and failings who managed to captivate the attention of the ancient world.”―Michael Scott, author of Ancient Worlds: An Epic History of East and West About the Author David Stuttard is an independent scholar, theater director, and Fellow of Goodenough College who has written more than ten books about ancient Greece, including Nemesis: Alcibiades and the Fall of Athens.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐You should. His life, and the choices he made impacted Greece more than most ancient Greek men you’ve heard of.The author does a superb job weaving the various known historical details into a sturdy cloth that both dazzles and dismays (from selflessness to betrayal) – a style Alcibiades would no doubt flaunt with a smile. Although there were several typos in the text, I give it 5 stars and the author many thanks for tackling a topic no others have.

⭐I am not a trained classicist, but I read a lot. I bought the book not knowing exactly what to expect, but drawn to the title and its bold label “Nemesis.” I was overwhelmed with how much I enjoyed experiencing Stuttard weave together the people and time around Alcibiades life into a coherent, compelling, and tastefully done narrative. I read this book with a mixed grasp of the major players of the time, but this book was just as informative as it was enjoyable. The literary allusions and elements that are used to punctuate the story were fantastic, and it was evident that this was not written to be dry and awful like a lot of history books are by stuffy academics trying to impress tenure track colleagues with how boring you can be while citing endless articles and other peer-reviewed sources. Stuttard writes with energy, clarity, and purpose drawing together the geopolitical and cultural forces at play in Alcibiades’ dramatic life, and as a result, the drama of Alcibiades’ life in the text was palpable. I cannot praise it enough for its writing and delivery of context and content. After reading it, I bought all Stuttard’s other books I could find and have enjoyed reading those too. Highly recommend.

⭐I always thought that it was odd that nobody had written a biography of the Athenian statesman and general Alcibiades, who was Socrates’ student, friend, and lover, and who had more than enough to do with Athens losing the Peloponnesian War. I mean, nobody other than the ancient sources, like Plutarch and Thucydides. Finally, we get to hear this fascinating story from David Studdard, who does an excellent and well documented job of it. I do think he’s a bit too charitable to the main character (then again, that’s usually a good thing for a biographer, within limits), and I didn’t like a number of passages where he went a bit too much into details depicting specific scenes, writing as if we had far more historical documentation than we actually do. Then again, that approach certainly makes for entertaining reading, and I don’t think Studdard took unreasonable liberties with the actual historical record. Do yourself a favor: read about Alcibiades, and mourn the human condition.

⭐A well written, well-presented story of a charismatic Athenian lacking moral fiber. Egotistical, self-absorbed, arrogant Alcybiades lead a full life of playing all sides for his own aggrandizement. One can only wonder what a person like this, who had everything going for him, might have achieved if he served his community and city first. The Peloponnesian War might have had a different outcome with a disciplined Alcybiades taking center stage. In the end, Alcibiades lost and the entire Greek world of his era lost with him as well. This is the very definition of tragedy. Disciplined charismatic leaders are what all human societies need. And oh, boy this ancient Athenian came close but then he took the wrong turn.

⭐Folks like Alcibiades seem to reoccur through the ages. None so far have surpassed his story. This is a great read.

⭐I read this book because after reading “Lords of the Sea” I wanted to know more about Alcibiades. I couldn’t put this book down. The author writes in a way where you loose yourself in the story and enter into the world of Ancient Greece. It’s scholary but much more engaging than, for example Paul Cartledge’ dry writing style. Highly recommend.

⭐I enjoyed this book immensely. It brought Classical Athens to life in a vivid way that broader approaches sometimes fail to do. I learned a great deal about the Peloponnesian War without effortfully memorizing sequences, because the twists and turns of this one wild life illuminated the course and causes of that civil strife. Clear, intelligent writing.

⭐Excellent biography of Alcibiades. Scholarly, well informed and well written.Successfully embeds the biographical details in the events of the time period. Highly recommend for those interested in the subject.

⭐I can’t think of anything by David Stuttard that I haven’t enjoyed reading. Quite apart from having an encyclopaedic knowledge of Classical Greek life, he’s a peerless storyteller.He declared his interest in Alcibiades first in his account of the Olympics of 416 BC,

⭐Power Games: Ritual and Rivalry at the Ancient Greek Olympics

⭐, and he returned to him for one of the potted biographies in

⭐A History of Ancient Greece in Fifty Lives

⭐, a couple of years later. Now he expounds at greater length, revealing the stunning career of this extraordinary man in all of its dramatic excitement. And edge-of-the-seat excitement is routine for this author. As he confesses in his introduction, this is meant for the general audience. He wastes no time in revealing his tale as a ripping yarn, an approach entirely justified by the subject. The effect is riveting.While I’m no expert, it seems to me that no opportunity is missed to signpost the academic sources that could give the reader more to chew on, but that will be of little importance to most who become absorbed in this story. One of Stuttard’s greatest skills is in succinctly condensing as much context as is necessary to deliver the significance of each plot turn. Where context can’t be found in the existing literature, he makes a compelling case for plausible explanations that are consistent with the rest of what’s known, winning our trust as deftly as did Alcibiades, first in Athens, then in Sparta, and in Asia as it became necessary.Alcibiades isn’t much talked of these days. That ought to change. I wouldn’t have been aware of him had I not discovered this author’s interest in him. I’m glad I did. His life is recounted here with a palpable urgency, and a relish for the details that make the scenario come vividly to life.David Stuttard has always written his histories as if fit for the cinema. Whilst Alcibiades’ story is rather too complex for a two-hour treatment, there are probably a couple of epic films in this book. But I’m not sure they make films like those any more.Superlative.

⭐The book shows, and this will not be new to those who read about the ancient world, how the Greek cities were continually fighting among themselves, frequently changing alliances, with the rivalry between Athens and Sparta more or less constant. Athens could be vicious in dealing with smaller cities, on more than one occasion slaughtering all the males of military age and enslaving the women and children. Slaves and the disparities in wealth were a marked feature of life. The book is no doubt a scholarly biography of Alcibiades but I think it is too detailed an account of his life to be suitable for a general reader like me.

⭐Really enjoyed this book, Stuttard has a way of bringing such ancient history alive, could almost smell ancient Athens and hear the din of hoplite battle in the plains of Attica. I’ve since ordered two more of his books. Great job Dr Stuttard

⭐I stopped reading it was boring in my opinion. Author didnt captivate me

⭐As an ancient history fanatic I came across this Alcibiades several times while devouring popular- and academic-history books. However it was not until I read a more comprehensive history of Athens (by Anthony Everitt) that my attention in this archetypal badass was really triggered. What an incredible character, what a eventful life what an interesting topic for a book!The book is very clear and readable with a coherent storyline that flows like fiction. It certainly didn’t cause me to dose off during my daily tube rides – as some books tend to do! From other classical biographies that often have to dwell on conjecture, subjective interpretation and choice you can see how hard it is configure a plausible story given the sparse, and often conflicting sources. But the author of this book, mr Stuttard pulls it off with this brilliant narrative history that is packed with detail and Athens’ golden age as a spectacular backdrop.Alcibiades was a striking celebrity and one of the most incredible figures in the history of Athens – spectacularly rich, an accomplished general, and a pitiless politician. But he was also the classical variant of Benedict Arnold, an infamous turncoat, that singlehandedly changed fortunes in the Peloponnesian War. Alcibiades’s adventures take place in backdrop of cultural opulence and turbulent geopolitical chaos. This fairly complete account of Alcibiades’ extraordinary life chronologically follows him through key events and along his travels (and escapes) across the Mediterranean; from Athens to Sparta, Syracuse, Persia, Sardis, Thrace and eventually to Anatolia. The book starts off with the historical and cultural context in which Alcibiades grew up. This is followed by an account of his rise to Athenian prominence as the ward of Pericles. In particular for his early years there weren’t much resources available so this part relies more on anecdotes related to the young Alcibiades and our general perception about an upbringing in classic Athens. The later periods of Alcibiades’ life are better documented and here there is more debate about the viability of both classic and more modern sources and interpretations.Despite the details and deliberations it is not an academic work and should be enjoyable to the general reader without much background in the classics.Fantastic Book.*** I very much enjoy reviewing products on Amazon, however there is little more satisfying than to learn that people read and like my reviews -> a click on the ‘helpful’ button below is greatly appreciated! ***

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