AN ODYSSEY OF ART AND POWER, BY THE CLASSIC QUEEN OF ANCIENT GREEK RETELLINGS

''Mary Renault is an exceptional storyteller'' CHARLOTTE MENDELSON

''A song of praise, a work of love, a serene, deliberate book, full of wisdom, rich in character, incident and description'' WALL STREET JOURNAL

Each generation has its own dream of beauty. I have lived long enough to watch it change.

At a local wedding on the isle of Keos, farmer''s son Simonides is mesmerised by the performance of a renowned Ionian bard. Simonides'' own voice is as beautiful as his appearance is ugly, yet his singing has been confined to hours spent alone in the mountains. But now, seeing a way to a new life, he begs to become the singer''s apprentice.

Before long, his fame propels him to the heart of classical Greece in fifth century BC - a time of political upheaval, of Athenian tyrants, Persian invaders and pirate kings. As art and power intertwine, Simonides must use all his wit and talent to compete with his flamboyant rival, Anacreon, and keep his songs alive.

''Her characters live vividly in their own time, and in ours'' MADELINE MILLER

''As a historical novelist witing about the ancient world, Mary Renault has few peers'' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW