Tales of Byzantium
Eileen Stephenson’s brief book consists of three long short stories set in different periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire. The first is a tale of Constantine VII “Porphyrogenitus” (born to the purple) and his wife Helena. The second is the story of twelfth century emperor, Manuel Comnenus, and the various crises he faced at home and abroad. The third centering on the emperor Alexios I Comnenus, mainly as seen through the eyes of his daughter, Anna Comnena, whose name will be familiar to students of the period as the author of an utterly fascinating epic biography of her father, the Alexiad.
Through elegantly described details, sharply observed characters, and especially crisp, modern-sounding dialogue, Stephenson takes these vignettes from the thousand years of Byzantine history, mixes them liberally with such excellent modern narrative histories as John Julius Norwich’s A Short History of Byzantium, and manages to create three very intriguing windows into a part of history largely unknown to many readers.
Tales of Byzantium breathes with historical authenticity and narrative zest. Here’s hoping the author turns her hand to a longer work of fiction drawn from the same treasure-trove of records.
Recommended.
