Stacy Schiff—Cleopatra: A Life September 13, 2011

Attend this illuminating conversation between Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Stacy Schiff, author of the bestseller Cleopatra: A Life, and Madeline Brand, host of The Madeline Brand Show on 89.3 KPCC.

Schiff has garnered universal acclaim for her work on such luminaries as Ben Franklin and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In her latest book, (soon to be a major motion picture starring Angelina Jolie and directed by David Fincher), Schiff separates fact from fiction to rescue Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt, from her own hazy legend. History remembers her as an irresistible seductress, but she was also a canny political strategist, a brilliant manager, and a tough negotiator. She knew how to build a fleet, control a currency, and quiet an insurrection. As Schiff states, “Cleopatra stood at one of the most dangerous intersections in history: that of women and power.” In a glittering narrative, Schiff explores both the epic struggles for power in the ancient world and the implications for one very clever, determined woman.

A Q&A and book signing follow the program.

Official Website: http://www.skirball.org/programs/stacy-schiff-cleopatra