First published 2013
Heinrich Schliemann tells everyone that destiny marked him from boyhood to uncover lost cities and buried treasure. He wants history to remember him as one of archaeology's greatest figures. But Schliemann bends the truth like a master storyteller. He spins tales of his adventures the way Homer crafted epic poems, always casting himself as the hero who survives shipwrecks and impossible odds. Schliemann transforms himself from a poor German boy into a wealthy Russian merchant, then sets off to dig for the ancient city of Ilium. He builds himself a fake Palace of Troy and lives surrounded by contradictions. He hoards money yet spends lavishly. He speaks twenty-two languages but makes reckless scholarly decisions. He obsesses over health while taking dangerous cold sea baths. Laura Amy Schlitz separates historical facts from Schliemann's elaborate stories, revealing a man who desperately wanted to become a legend in his own lifetime. This illustrated biography shows how one person's need for glory shaped the way we understand ancient history.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, archaeology, adventurers, 19th-century, academia
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: hero, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Ilium, Troy
Period: 19th-century
80 pages · Paperback · Candlewick Press