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Hercules

Hercules A Heroic Life

Paperback (02 Oct 2006)

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Publisher's Synopsis

From Ovid and Virgil to the muscle beaches of Malibu, Hercules has made an indelible impression on Western culture. Hercules is the original hero: half-god, half-man; strong, handsome and virile; triumphant in his twelve labours yet ultimately victim of his tragic destiny. He has been variously portrayed for thousands of years in sculpture, painting and verse, and more recently depicted on stage and screen. Roman emperors, renaissance princes and totalitarian dictators have all attempted to appropriate his image. This unconventional biography of Hercules charts his life from his dramatic birth in Thebes to his agonizing death on a flaming pyre. Along the way, it recounts many long-forgotten yet revealing adventures and shows Hercules to be much more than just a muscle-bound hero. His life story, which mixes elements of tragedy and comedy, often makes uncomfortable reading: a rapist, drunkard and transvestite, Hercules' excesses explore some of the darkest recesses of human nature.

About the Publisher

Granta Books

Granta Books is one of the most independent-minded and prestigious literary publishers in the UK. The company publishes around 25 new titles a year, both literary fiction and upmarket non-fiction, and provides authors with the intimacy of a small, passionate and creative team while consistently punching above its weight in review coverage, prizes, cultural impact and sales.

Book information

ISBN: 9781862078772
Publisher: Granta Publications
Imprint: Granta Books
Pub date:
DEWEY: 398.210937
DEWEY edition: 22
Language: English
Number of pages: 200
Weight: 166g
Height: 195mm
Width: 132mm
Spine width: 15mm