Alexander the Great: The Invisible Enemy

From Book News, Inc.
In accordance with the fashion current at the time, the "downfall" of Alexander the Great, after he accomplished more than any ordinary human could even hope to dream about, has been variously attributed to hubris, the influence of his mother, and homosexuality. It should come as no surprise in today's climate that we find it attributed to alcoholism. O'Brien is not known as an eminent scholar on Alexander or ancient Greece, but on alcohol. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.


Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Alexander's story is compelling to lay audiences and scholars alike, with the pathos of an authentic Aristotelian tragedy."


The St. Louis Dispatch
"...a book that could indeed have been written 2,000 years ago. You don't often get a chance to read a book like this."


Ernst A. Fredricksmeyer, University of Colorado
"This is a most interesting and valuable biography, not least because it provides such an extensive Materialsammlung on Alexander as a human being."


Choice
"Suitable for a modern age . . . fair and balanced . . . The bibliography is the most complete ever assembled on modern Alexander scholarship..."


Book Description
In the last seven years of his life, Alexander the Great grew increasingly unpredictable, sporadically violent, megalomaniacal and suspicious of friends as well as enemies. This latest biography of antiquity's most renowned conqueror differs from others in its detailed assessment of Alexander's psychological development.In Alexander The Great John Maxwell O'Brien takes an imaginative approach to his subject in choosing Dionysus, the god of wine and ambivalence, as the framework for a discussion of Alexander's alcoholism and often contradictory personality traits.O'Brien's pursuit of his subject explores every imaginable detail, discussing Alexander's cultural tastes, religious beliefs, parents, aspirations, exploits, fears, sexuality and alcoholism. Alexander The Great takes into account the latest scholarship in the field, incorporating the latest methods of interpretation in archaeology, anthropology, psychology, mythology and philosophy.


About the Author
John Maxwell O'Brien is Professor of History at Queen's College, City University of New York. His publications on the excessive drinking of Alexander the Great have attracted worldwide attention in scholarly journals and the press.


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