To read this content please select one of the options below:

Two tales of one Alexander

Aleya A. Said (Abu Dhabi University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates)

Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues

ISSN: 1753-7983

Article publication date: 29 May 2009

301

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a comparative study of two novels dealing with the life, feats and death of Alexander the Great: the winner of the 2007 Arabic Booker Prize Wahat Al‐Ghoroub (Sunset Oasis) (2007) by Egyptian writer Bahaa Taher and Alexander: The Sands of Ammon (1998), Part II of a trilogy by Italian historian, journalist, novelist and archaeologist Valerio Massimo Manfredi. The paper highlights the similarities and differences between both fictional works as it addresses the different narrative styles, character portrayals and thematic concerns presented in both works.

Design/methodology/approach

An analytical reading of the narrative techniques and literary elements of the two novels.

Findings

The paper finds that the two works share similarities as far as historical facts, major thematic concerns and character portrayals are concerned.

Originality/value

This is the first comparative study and thorough analysis dealing with the two literary works.

Keywords

Citation

Said, A.A. (2009), "Two tales of one Alexander", Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 86-95. https://doi.org/10.1108/17537980910960663

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles