Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

4 Extra Debut. Peter Stothard's lifelong interest in the Egyptian ruler reveals unique evidence of Cleopatra's signature. Read by Kenneth Cranham.

When Peter Stothard, former editor of The Times and now editor of the Times Literary Supplement, finds himself in Alexandria in the winter of 2010 after his flight to South Africa has been cancelled, he sets out to explore a nation on the brink of revolution.

Accompanied by two native Egyptians, Mohammed and Socratis, whose eagerness to spend time with him is never really explained, Stothard traces his lifelong interest in the history of Cleopatra, and his repeated failure to write the book about her that he has started so many times.

Melancholy and sometimes humorous, Alexandria filters the life of a classics scholar turned journalist through the prism of Cleopatra's turbulent history - while all around the author, the cracks begin to appear in Hosni Mubarak's own empire.

Episode 1 (of 5):
Pieces of paper, sketches and maps on a hotel room bed and the remarkable story behind the only fragment of parchment to bear Cleopatra's signature - a political gesture sanctioning a tax break.

Read by Kenneth Cranham
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.

15 minutes

Last on

Tue 5 Jun 2018 02:45

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Kenneth Cranham
Producer Jill Waters
Abridger Jill Waters
Writer Peter Stothard

Broadcasts

  • Mon 17 Jun 2013 09:45
  • Tue 18 Jun 2013 00:30
  • Mon 4 Jun 2018 14:45
  • Tue 5 Jun 2018 02:45

Listen to more Audio Books

Listen to more Audio Books

Including My Sister The Serial Killer, Queenie, The Flatshare and more.

Opening Lines

Opening Lines

John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Sample our books and authors Clip Collection

Interviews, previews and reviews

Subscribe to the Short stories podcast

Featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.

Finding Your Story

Finding Your Story

Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts: Books

Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.