THE MASK OF APOLLO

This was the first adult book that truly knocked my socks off.The protagonist, a tragic actor, is so likeable even with his catty little faults that he takes you on a journey to a very different world. And his boyfriend is just lovely. Mary Renault was a genius.

My introduction to Mary Renault was The King Must Die, the first of two novels about Theseus--it was actually assigned reading in high school. What impressed me so much there was how she took a figure out of myth and grounded him historically. After that I quickly gobbled up all of Renault's works

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of historical fiction set in Ancient Greece. The two novels about Theseus and the trilogy centered on Alexander the Great are undoubtedly her most famous of those eight novels, and I'd add The Last of the Wine, about the Peloponnesian War, as among her best.

By that standard this is one of Renault's, lesser, not as memorable, works. In a way, this feels like a sequel to The Last of the Wine. There Socrates was an important character, here it's Plato. I definitely got the feeling from Renault's novels that she had two historical passions: Alexander the Great and Plato, and the idea that the first was the embodiment of the second's ideal--or would have been, had he had a chance to shape him. The main focus of this novel though is Nikeratos, an Athenian born into the acting trade. And it's certainly interesting seeing the portrait of ancient Greek theater. And compared to much of historical fiction, this is still a marvel. I'd probably recommend The King Must Die as an introduction to Renault, then read the sequel, The Last of the Wine and the Alexander works before hitting this one--but this is definitely a pleasure.

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Nikeratos, born into an acting family in Athens at the time of Plato, tells the story of his life. An actor's peripatetic life brings him into contact with all types of men (and even occasionally women) and gives him a walk on part in the doomed attempts to build a Platonic system of virtuous

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government in tyrant ridden Syracuse. Greece is evoked beautifully and Renault's imaginative retelling of one of the most important periods in western history is seamless between fact and very credible imaginings. I never quite, however, engaged with Nikos - and as this is a very linear first person narrative that was a bit of a problem. As an actor he is essentially a passer by, a player on the stage but not in real events and this was mirrored in a rather detached way of narrating. This perhaps also mirrored the conventions of Greek drama that the real action takes place off stage, regardless of the splendid events on it. Recommended, but not - I think - in the same class as her Alexander trilogy (as readers of the last few pages when he blazes over the book will see..)

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Story of an actor in tragedies in ancient Greece in the 300s BC --a wonderful scene when a rival sabotages the crane carrying him as Apollo and he thinks he will crash and die but finishes his speech anyway. He acts in a play written by Dionysius of Syracuse; he sees Plato's attempt to educate

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Dionysius's heir, Dionysius the younger, and the attempt by Dion, a more genuine disciple of Plato, to reform Syracuse. Some emotional byplay--the actor thinks of himself as homosexual but has a brief encounter with one of Plato's female students (they are escaping from political chaos in Syracuse); my impression is that it means more to the actor tan he admits to himself, though they both continue their previous orientations.

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Top notch fun! A real page turner that had me up well past my bed time, that took me back to Plato's world and helped me understand some of those issues. I'm no classical scholar so I can't judge the historical accuracy, but on the other hand I have read a few of Plato's dialogues and this book

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seemed to catch the right flavor.

Curiously relevant to modern times, too, sad to say. Politics doesn't really change over the millennia, nor human nature.

This was my introduction to Mary Renault. I am just delighted to have this territory open up for me!

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In one quintessentially Greek moment from this superb novel, the narrator recalls the story of a father of two Olympic champions. At the moment when his sons are crowned, the crowd chants to him to "Die now," because, of course, no moment of his life could ever again be so good.

So, in finishing The

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Mask of Apollo am I tempted to chant to myself: "Give up reading historical fiction now."

'Nuff said.

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I have read this book until it has fallen apart. I am entranced by the "backstage" atmosphere of the story, by the doomed nobility of Dion, by the struggles of Niko to remain true to his craft in the face of corruption and politics.

A hardcover to replace my beloved falling-apart-at-the-seams paperback. Still one of the best ever written about Greek theater.

Not as enamoured as I thought I'd be with this. Dion of Syracuse [philosopher from Plato's Academy] as seen through the eyes of Nikeratos [Niko}, a tragic actor. Making her protagonist [sounds like that was the ancient Greek word for the leading man in a play] an actor, Renault gave him the freedom

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to travel all over and comment. Also we got a great description of the nuts and bolts of the Greek theater [much Renault's conception but plausible]. I thought the story dragged until the sack of Syracuse until the end.

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Greece from the perspective of a very discerning actor's point of view. Renault writes historical fiction in such a way as to cause us to think that's how it might have been with wonderful detail and finely drawn characters. One of her best!

I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as Bull from the Sea. Perhaps because it was more political and philosophical than mythical and dramatic, which is ironic for a tale centered around the theater. There were many characters to keep track of, so that every time I put the book down, I had to

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re-orient myself when I picked it back up. She is a wonderful writer and I look forward to the next one, but I would place this one at the bottom of the list of Mary Renault novels to explore.

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The Mask of Apollo is Nikerato's good luck oracle and muse,
smiling silently and using his eyes to convey reactions seen as visions.

Niko's early entry into his father's acting profession steers his lifelong career and loves.

It is a pleasure to read until the endless battles at the finale in

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Syracuse.
(As well, Niko meeting the young lady of The Academy who showed up unharmed in Syracuse was a stretch.)

Ending is silly - why leave a beautiful gold gift on a grave to be stolen...?
What will The Mask think of THAT?

Here's one from Euripides for January 6th, 2021:

In vain man's expectation;
God brings the unthought to be,
As here we see.

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One of the first novels that truly started me on the path to what would become a life long love with reading. The protagonist, a tragic actor, is so likeable with his catty attitude that he takes you on a trip to a very new & different world. And, his boyfriend is a joy, too. Mary Renault was a

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genius. She bravely presented the LGBTQ community, as well as she & her partner. I've committed myself to collecting her entire collection of writings. It has been 20-year's since we lost her and her writing still holds up.

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