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Valerio Massimo Manfredi | |
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| Born | 8 March 1943 Castelfranco Emilia, province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
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| Nationality | Italian |
| Period | 1980–present |
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Notable works | Alexander trilogy |
| Spouse | Christine Fedderson Manfredi |
 Literatureportal | |
Valerio Massimo Manfredi (born 8 March 1943) is an Italian historian, writer, essayist, archaeologist and journalist.
He was born in Piumazzo di Castelfranco Emilia province of Modena and, after getting a degree in Classical Arts at the University of Bologna, he became an archaeologist at the Catholic University of Milan, specialising in the topography of the Ancient World. [1]
At the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore itself, he taught from 1980 to 1986, then moved on to an academic career at the University of Venice (1987) and then at the Loyola University of Chicago, the Sorbonne University in Paris and the Bocconi University in Milan. However, due to his numerous commitments, both national and international, he can no longer lecture full-time, but he holds a visiting professor role. [2]
Between the 1970s and the 1980s, he has undertaken the "Anabasis" expeditions for the reconstruction of the itinerary of the Ten Thousand's retreat. This expedition covered a total of 18,000 km, with 2,000 photographs being taken. He undertook and led numerous other expeditions, such as: Lavinium, Forum Gallorum and Forte Urbano in Italy, Túcume (Peru), Har Karkom and other overseas locations. [3]
He has also held a series of conferences and seminars at the University of Oxford, University of California, National University of Canberra, Universidad de Antiochia, Universidad de Bilbao, Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo in Tenerife and many others. [1]
He has published many academic essays and articles and he has written several best-selling novels (amounting to a total of about 8 million copies sold worldwide). He also writes on many newspapers and magazines as a scientific journalist both in Italy (e.g., "Il Messaggero", "Panorama", "Archeo", "Focus") and in Spain (Spanish edition of "Focus" and "El Mundo"). [4]
His novel The Last Legion was the basis for the movie of the same title, released in 2007 and starring Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley and others; his Alexander Trilogy has been bought by Universal Pictures for yet another cinematic rendition of the story of Alexander the Great. [1] He has also written the screenplays for Marco d'Aviano and Gilgamesh and he has adapted Le Memorie di Adriano for cinema screening. Furthermore, he has hosted the television series Stargate – linea di confine for three seasons already on the Italian TV channel LA7 and he will also host Impero (Empire) on the very same channel.
On 11 February 2021, Manfredi and fellow writer Antonella Prenner were found unconscious at his home in Rome, after suffering a domestic incident caused by an accidental gas leak. They were hospitalized in Grosseto; their conditions were described as critical. [5] They were later released.
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The Sands of Ammon is the second part of Valerio Massimo Manfredi's Alexander trilogy, following on from Child of a Dream. Continuing the epic story of Alexander the Great, The Sands of Ammon narrates of the Macedonian king's quest to conquer Asia. He and his men storm and conquer Persian towns and harbours; even the legendary town of Halicarnassus is defeated. Alexander's army marches on to the snow-covered Anatolia, where it records yet another few victories. Despite defeating the king Darius III, the city of Tyre and the Towers of Gaza prove to be formidable enemies, although they ultimately have to surrender to Alexander. The Macedonian army then heads south towards the mysterious and epic land of Egypt; and it's here, in the sands of the endless Libyan Desert, that the Oracle of Ammon lies. And what the divine Oracle will reveal to Alexander will change his life forever.
The Ends of the Earth is the third and last part of Valerio Massimo Manfredi's trilogy on Alexander the Great. After the Oracle of Ammon told him he is the son of Zeus, Alexander feels invincible and marches north towards the historic town of Babylon. The beautiful city is ravaged and the Palace of Persepolis, the former residence of King Darius, is burnt to ashes together with the memories of the old Empire. It is now time to start anew, and Alexander decides on yet another hard task: unify the Persian people with the Macedonians. As he struggles to convince his countrymen to come to cultural compromises with the Persians, he falls in love with Queen Roxane. And it is this love that gives him the strength to fulfil his epic destiny.
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