Cleopatra

Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE (1856-1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He attended Ipswich Grammar School and after failing his army entrance exam was sent to London to prepare for the entrance exam for the British Foreign Office which he never sat. In 1875 he travelled to South Africa to take up an unpaid position as assistant to the Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony of Natal, and a year later he was transferred to the staff of the Special Commissioner for the Transvaal, then in 1878 became Registrar of the High Court in the Transvaal. On his return to England in 1880 he married a friend of his sister and the couple travelled back to Africa, settling back in England in 1882. Haggard studied law and was called to the bar in 1884, but spent much of his time writing which he saw as being more profitable. In 1885 he published King Solomon's Mines which introduced the character Allan Quatermain, inspired by the adventurers Haggard had encountered in colonial Africa. The book was the first English adventure novel set in Africa and proved hugely popular, with a sequel, Allan Quatermain, appearing in 1887, followed by a whole series featuring the same character. Haggard's other popular titles include She (1887) and its sequel Ayesha, the former considered to be one of the classics of imaginative literature. Cleopatra (1889) is a story set in the Ptolemaic era of Ancient Egyptian history, revolving around the survival of a dynasty bloodline protected by the Priesthood of Isis. The main character, Harmachis (the living descendant of the pharaoh's bloodline) is charged by the Priesthood to overthrow the supposed imposter Cleopatra, drive out the Greeks and Romans, and restore Egypt to its golden era. The story, which draws heavily upon adventure and exotic concepts, is told from Harmachis's point of view in biblical language, being in the form of papyrus scrolls found in a tomb. Haggard's portrayal of Cleopatra is particularly noteworthy, revealing her wit, her treachery and her overwhelming presence.