The Mask of Apollo

The final sentence of The Mask of Apollo has haunted me for decades since I first read the book in my teens. When I read it again, many years later, I discovered that the story is as moving as I remembered. Renault weaves a fascinating re-creation of classical Greek theatre with Plato’s attempt to tutor a true philosopher king in the kingdom of Syracuse. But it’s the final chapter, after Plato’s death, that raises the book to the level of tragedy. For then we meet the young Alexander, already almost god-like in his charisma, a fire seeking fuel for its… show more.

I fell in love with ancient Greece through its mythology, but it became a real place for me when I was a teenager in the books of Mary Renault. The Mask of Apollo is typical, it captures the drama of history and politics while totally engaging the reader in the life of the time, including 'real' characters - Plato, Dion, Alexander. Mask encompasses the theatre too, as the central character is a prize-winning actor, who visits Delphi to appear in a play. The Pythian games, held at Delphi every four years, included dramatic performances, music, and art as well as… show more.