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Anna Comnena
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The Alexiad of Anna Comnena Paperback – January 1, 1969

by Anna Comnena (Author), E. R. A. Sewter (Translator, Introduction)
4.3 out of 5 stars 25 ratings
Text: English, Greek (translation)
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  1. Print length
    560 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1969
  5. Dimensions
    5.18 x 0.91 x 7.74 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0140442154
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0140442151
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; First Edition (January 1, 1969)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 560 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140442154
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140442151
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.18 x 0.91 x 7.74 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

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Anna Comnena

Anna Comnena

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4.3 out of 5 stars
25 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Dr. Paul
    5.0 out of 5 stars interesting perspective and observation
    Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Informational notes probably could have been much better, had the translator had a better insight on the culture of the geography of concern.
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  • Phil
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Great Shape
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  • JH
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Life of Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2012
    Anna Comnena, the eldest daughter to the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, in her later years, wrote this biography of her father. She was continuing an effort started by her deceased husband Nicephorus Bryennius who was a general in the imperial army (among other things). Emperor Alexius was an extraordinary emperor. He ruled during a turbulent time where every neighbor wanted to conquer them. The condition of the empire had been severely weakened for many years and the frequent internal conflicts continued to leave the empire vulnerable. Anna succeeds in her goal of showing what an impressive leader her father was. She relates the continuous warfare and intrigues that Alexius had to endure. A lesser man would certainly have become overwhelmed, but Alexius was able to weather the storm and hold the empire together. What I found truly remarkable is that Alexius seemed to lose more battles than he won, but he was still able to win each war.

    But Anna is a biased source. Her scorn of the enemies of Byzantium should be considered. Here are a couple examples of her selective testimony. The introduction of Robert Guiscard and Pope Gregory VII is a little too concise and filled with much prejudice. The story that she gives of Robert Guiscard's rise to power may or may not be true, but she certainly left out the more important acts of Robert. She also neglects to mention that Robert Guiscard had driven Byzantium out of Italy only 7 years earlier. This is what lead to Emperor Michael VII Ducas suing for peace with Robert with the marriage proposal. Late in the book, she professes the greatness of her mother Irene, saying that Alexius never let her leave his side. While she tells the tenderness in which Irene treats him, Anna fails to mention that Irene had been conspiring to have Anna's husband replace Anna's brother John as heir. This desire Anna shared and did not want to write about after the failed assassination attempt on John and later confinement by him.

    The Alexiad is also frequently confusing as Anna's lack of knowledge causes her to misrepresent information, incorrectly identify people, and leave out relevant information. Reading the Alexiad without knowledge of the period is not recommended. Fortunately, this book comes with good footnotes which help the reader by pointing out where Anna is wrong and filling in the gaps in her story. I have increased my rating one star because of his efforts. And despite her failing, the Alexiad does provide a historical record from the Byzantine side and present the story of an incredible versatile emperor.

    If you are interested in the time period in which Anna writes, I recommend Byzantium: The Decline and Fall by John Julius Norwich or A History of the Crusades Vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Volume 1) and A History of the Crusades: Volume II The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187 by Stephen Runciman and First Crusade by Thomas Asbridge for coverage of the Crusades.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Brian Geeslin
    5.0 out of 5 stars It gives good information on the nomadic tribes such as the Pechenegs ...
    Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2016
    First rate primary source written by the Emperor's daughter. Of course she has bias but when she writes of the "Franks", the crusaders, she says they are crude, uncouth, barbaric, etc but you can tell she has the hots for Bohemond! AS with all primary sources don;t be anachronistic. It gives good information on the nomadic tribes such as the Pechenegs and the Cumans the latter of which defected to the enemy leading to the defeat of Romanus IV at Manzikert.
    Also this was the start of the crusading movement in the west. The Roman Emp. appealed to the Pope for mercenary troops; it was, of course, misunderstood in the west but brought on the two centuries of the crusader kingdoms.
    Keep in mind Anna was born in the purple but she was not shielded from events. You get a woman's perspective but that does add to the appeal.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Tracy Barrett
    5.0 out of 5 stars A rich and fascinating text
    Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2001
    The reviewer who cautions Comnena's readers to take her "with a grain of salt" should try to step out of his/her 20th-century shoes long enough to appreciate the astonishing accomplishment of this remarkable woman. As Emilie Amt says, "[M]edieval standards of truth, originality and accuracy were not the same as ours. Supernatural explanations of events were more widely accepted than they are today. Authors of literature and history borrowed freely from other works, and the boundaries between myth, story and history were not clear ones. Literary conventions can also distort the historical record; for example, the writers often invented dialogue freely. . . . One way to read such sources is to look for clues in accounts as to what might 'really' have happened. Another is to study the mind-set of the age, taking the belief itself as an important historical fact. A third is to enter into the mind-set of the age, taking the belief for granted. All three approaches can be illuminating for the student of medieval history."
    The literary convention of using archaic language is hardly new with Comnena, and although one might argue its effectiveness, one can hardly say that all books must be written in the "language . . . in common usage at the time."
    Personally, as a scholar in the field of medieval women writers, I found Comnena's epic, and especially her (inadvertant) revelations of her own personality so fascinating, that I wrote a young-adult novel based on her life (_Anna of Byzantium_). More than one teenage fan has written to tell me that reading the novel had inspired her to attempt to read the _Alexiad_. None of them made it very far, but several said they were going to try again when they were older!
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Anna was the pre-eminent female historian of the Middle Ages
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2000
    Her father, Alexios Komnenos, was called upon not only to pull together the rapidly disintegrating Byzantine Empire, but also to deal with what has been called (with a certain degree of justice) "The last barbarian invasion" - the western crusading movement - inadvertently touched off by Alexios's own request for military aid from the west.
    Anna Komnena is certainly prey to the prejudices of her rank and station in the Byzantine Empire, and her account is clearly intended as an elegy and panygeric to her adored father - the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Nevertheless, the Alexiad is also a closely detailed and informed account of a pivotal period in the history of medieval europe and the middle east.
    Together with Michael Psellos and Niketas Choniates, Anna represents the cream of middle-Byzantine historiography. Do not let the clearly deranged review posted earlier on this site put you off.
    26 people found this helpful
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