ALEXANDRIA: THE CITY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
15:00 – 16:15 | SUNDAY 14 APRIL
BRITISH LIBRARY & ONLINE
Inspired by the tales of Homer and his own ambitions of empire, Alexander the Great sketched the idea of a city onto the sparsely populated Egyptian coastline. He did not live to see Alexandria built, but his vision of a sparkling metropolis – situated on the cusp of Africa, Europe and Asia – that celebrated learning and diversity was swiftly realised and still stands today. Join of Dr Islam Issa (Alexandria: The City that Changed the World) and Michael Wood (In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great) for a journey across millennia, through brutal tragedies and distinctive characters, as they tell the gripping story of Alexandria, a city that has shaped our modern world.
INDIVIDUAL TICKET: IN-PERSON £10 / ONLINE £5
SUNDAY PASS: IN-PERSON £30 / ONLINE £15
WEEKEND PASS: IN-PERSON (SOLD OUT) / ONLINE £25
About the speakers
- Dr Islam Issa: Islam Issa is an award-winning British-Egyptian writer, curator, and broadcaster, and was recently named by the BBC as “one of the United Kingdom’s most significant new thinkers.” He is Professor of Literature and History at Birmingham City University, and contributes regularly to the Guardian, the New Statesman, and the Times Literary Supplement. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including the award-winning Milton in the Arab-Muslim World, Shakespeare and Terrorism, and his latest work, Alexandria: The City that Changed the World.
- Michael Wood: Historian, filmmaker and broadcaster, Michael Wood is the author of multiple bestselling books, including four UK number one bestsellers, and well over one hundred documentary films, among them In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great and The Story of India, which the Wall Street Journal described as ‘still the gold standard’ of documentary history-making. His Story of England, which told the tale of one village, Kibworth in Leicestershire, through British history, was called by the Independent ‘the most innovative history series ever on TV’. He’s Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester, a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Antiquaries.
This event is kindly supported by Noiser Podcasts
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