Letters from Melite edition by Michael J Sant Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : Letters from Melite edition by Michael J Sant Literature Fiction eBooks 
A treasure trove of manuscripts discovered while restoring an ancient monastery, documents the fortunes of the inhabitants of the city of Melite, as they navigate the changing circumstances of the ninth century. New kingdoms rule over the fragmented remains of the Roman Empire in the west. In the east, the Byzantine Empire - heir of ancient Rome - is beset on all fronts.
Letters cross the Mediterranean, furthering the ambitions of Saracen emirs and fueling the meanderings of Byzantine politics. The southernmost outposts of the Empire of the Romans are forced to confront the territorial ambitions of an old enemy as one at a time, cities in Sicily are lost to the inexorable advance of the Saracen invasion.
Further south on the island of Melete, the city of Melite watches the gradual erosion of Roman dominion, and prepares for siege.
Letters from Melite edition by Michael J Sant Literature Fiction eBooks
Michael Sant has done such meticulous research, and has such a thorough grasp of Byzantine times and the end of the Roman Empire, that he pulls of quite a feat in Letters from Melite. He invents a whole island, Melete, life on which revolves around a city with nearly the same name, Melite. From this vantage point, and through the letters sent back and forth between citizens of Melite and various soldiers, officals, and civilians throughout the empire, Sant takes us through the Roman/Arab wars and the deterioration of the empire that results. Split into four parts, each spanning the rule of a different emperor, the novel is ambitious in scope, but Sant has the historian goods to back it up. If readers don't know much about that section of history, I think the book would be a great entry point into it; it's a very human look at a massively important time, the turning point in Western history. Through characters and people on the ground (and war ships!), we can see and feel the difficult lives of people, as well as understand the bigger political structure and turmoil. Anyone who is a Byzantine buff will enjoy it for much the same reason. I'm not, however, a big fan of the epistolary form. The novel is very well written, and I understand why Sant would choose the letter form (it allows him to use many characters in many places and to articulate a lot of information and change over different periods of time), but it left me feeling a little lost in the gaps between the letters. Those letters, however, form the bigger meta-structure of the novel - a cache of letters discovered centuries later are then read and a whole history invovling Melite is revealed, which is, after all, a pretty great concept!Product details
|
Tags : Letters from Melite - Kindle edition by Michael J. Sant. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Letters from Melite.,ebook,Michael J. Sant,Letters from Melite,FICTION Historical,FICTION Literary
People also read other books :
- The Mind Play Study Guide Mark Wiseman 9781512230277 Books
- Flying Paula Helfrich Rebecca Sprecher Books
- The Time Machine HG Wells 9781539918516 Books
- Malcom and the Baby Road to Avonlea edition by Heather Conkie Children eBooks
- SoWrong An Askari Family Novel Book 1 edition by CM Steele Literature Fiction eBooks
Letters from Melite edition by Michael J Sant Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Maltese author Michael J Sant has committed to book form a work that illuminates the actions of the Byzantine Empire, a task that took incredible amounts of research and the result is a window into a portion of history few of us have studied or even know. Of note, Sant comments on his position as author of this exploration of the island once called Malete, the city on that island being called Melite `Here in Malta, the Sant surname is pretty widespread. The earliest record is about 1400 when it was documented that a Sant found a hoard of Arabic gold coins while a building was being demolished. It is possible that the Santa arrived here from Spain, as part of a colonizing effort. But I'm just guessing.' An author of this relaxed credibility adds substance to the content of this at times difficult to read book (names, bits of historical fact heretofore unknown, etc) he writes in a epistolary fashion the life on the frontier of the Byzantine Empire during the Arab Byzantine wars form his home - Malta - the current name for Melite.
Sant divides his book into four sections - Part One In the reign of Michael II (the Stammerer), Part Two In the reign of Theophilos, Part Three In the reign of Michael III (the Drunkard), Part Four In the reign of Basil I (the Macedonian), and Part Five In the reign of Leo VI (the Wise). Though the writing by Sant is clear, concise, and immensely readable, sparing no details of the merciless occurrences of the period, a bit of basic history may encourage readers unfamiliar with Sant's timeframe to embrace this book The Byzantine Empire was the predominantly Greek-speaking continuation of the Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Its capital city was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), originally known as Byzantium. Initially the eastern half of the Roman Empire (often called the Eastern Roman Empire in this context), it survived the 5th century fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The borders of the Empire evolved significantly over its existence, as it went through several cycles of decline and recovery. During the Macedonian dynasty (10th-11th centuries), the Empire again expanded and experienced a two-century long renaissance, which came to an end with the loss of much of Asia Minor to the Seljuk Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. This battle opened the way for the Turks to settle in Anatolia as a homeland. The final centuries of the Empire exhibited a general trend of decline. It struggled to recover during the 12th century, but was delivered a mortal blow during the Fourth Crusade, when Constantinople was sacked and the Empire dissolved and divided into competing Byzantine Greek and Latin realms. Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople and re-establishment of the Empire in 1261, Byzantium remained only one of several small rival states in the area for the final two centuries of its existence.
Given this brief overview of Byzantium, Sant focuses his novel on life on the frontier of the Byzantine Empire during the Arab-Byzantine wars. The letters read as much like fiction as they do history, so capable is the writing style of Sant. He has in this book opened our eyes to a too long forgotten role that Malta played in the development of Western civilization. It is a worth and fascinating read. Grady Harp, March 14
A facinating, disturbing and harrowing account of Byzantine politics and life in the Mediterranean around the 9th century A.D. Superbly written by an author who is obviously knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. I look forward to further books about the subject from this author.
Michael J Sant has made me enjoy history again. He has taken the time to actually research the Byzantine Empire and created a tale that spans the reign of four monarchs. The book is actually divide into sections devoted to each one. He spared no detail of that violent and turbulent time period. The capital city now known as Istanbul was originally known as Byzantium, and it was a part of the Roman Empire. The novel focuses on how hard life was on the people under these Emperors and how it got worse during the war with the Arabs. For those who were unaware of the role that this empire played and it being the foundation of Western Civilization this will be an education and a joy to read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes history and want to know more about this critical era.
Michael Sant has done such meticulous research, and has such a thorough grasp of Byzantine times and the end of the Roman Empire, that he pulls of quite a feat in Letters from Melite. He invents a whole island, Melete, life on which revolves around a city with nearly the same name, Melite. From this vantage point, and through the letters sent back and forth between citizens of Melite and various soldiers, officals, and civilians throughout the empire, Sant takes us through the Roman/Arab wars and the deterioration of the empire that results. Split into four parts, each spanning the rule of a different emperor, the novel is ambitious in scope, but Sant has the historian goods to back it up. If readers don't know much about that section of history, I think the book would be a great entry point into it; it's a very human look at a massively important time, the turning point in Western history. Through characters and people on the ground (and war ships!), we can see and feel the difficult lives of people, as well as understand the bigger political structure and turmoil. Anyone who is a Byzantine buff will enjoy it for much the same reason. I'm not, however, a big fan of the epistolary form. The novel is very well written, and I understand why Sant would choose the letter form (it allows him to use many characters in many places and to articulate a lot of information and change over different periods of time), but it left me feeling a little lost in the gaps between the letters. Those letters, however, form the bigger meta-structure of the novel - a cache of letters discovered centuries later are then read and a whole history invovling Melite is revealed, which is, after all, a pretty great concept!
0 Response to "[HFA]≫ PDF Letters from Melite edition by Michael J Sant Literature Fiction eBooks"
Post a Comment