Gates of fire is required reading at west point and annapolis and for all officers in the u. An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae as want to read. Like most of pressfield s work, gates of fire deals with the common soldier, the grunt, the squire. The word in greek means hot gates, from the thermal springs and, as his majesty knows, the narrow and precipitous defiles which form the only passages by which the site may be approachedin greek, pylae or pylai, the east and west gates. Gates of fire was not quite what i expected, but this does not in any way diminish its attraction. Steven pressfield is a great writer, but with gates of fire, he reaches a pitch of sublimity that rivals the gods. In short he was a man who not only witnessed but participated in most of the significant events of the modern era and who knew personally many of its principal actors. Steven pressfield is the author of this classic novel. A page to honor an amazing book by a gifted author. In 2008, he was made an honorary citizen by the city of sparta in greece. Like most of pressfields work, gates of fire deals with the common soldier, the grunt, the squire.
Home gates of fire steven pressfield 9780553383683. Thousands of years ago, herodotus and plutarch immortalized spartan society in their histories. It was through this gate that israeli paratroopers entered the old city, which at the time was in the hands of the jordanians, and took possession, for the first time in nearly two thousand years, of the holiest site of the jewish peoplethe western wall of the ancient temple of solomon. In gates of fire, steven pressfield tells the epic story of those legendary spartans. An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae by steven pressfield at indigo. Gates of fire by steven pressfield ebook g8j free ebook. The phokian wall around which so much of the most desperate fighting took place was. Knowing that the persian king intended to conquer the cradle of western democracy, in 480 b. Steven pressfields gates of fire isbn 0553580531 is historical fiction of the very highest caliber. One of the few antiquarian marks of the civilization that has survived lies scores of miles away from sparta, at a narrow greek mountain pass called thermopylae.
Steven pressfield is the author of gates of fire, tides of war, the afghan campaign, the profession, the warrior ethos, do the work, and the war of art among others. Author steven pressfield is perhaps bestknown at the moment for his book the legend of bagger vance, a story about golf, which has just been made into a film by robert redford. Get the entire gates of fire litchart as a printable pdf. Nelson demilleat thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern greece, the feared and admired spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Pressfields first book, the legend of bagger vance, was published in 1995, and was made into a 2000 film of the same name directed by robert redford and starring will smith, charlize theron, and matt damon. Chapra steven c chapra pdf steven bragg pdf steven bragg steven a. A triumph in historical fiction best describes this stirring account of the famous battle of thermopylae, told by the lone survivor before succumbing to his wounds, in a logical followup to pressfields homeric take on golf, the legend of bagger vance 1995.
On the commandants reading list for all ranks since 2002. The spartan king leonidas lead 300 knights ans some 700 thespaian allies to the narrow pass at thermopylae, in order to hold the persians back as long as possible. I was expecting a war story with a focus on the mentality of the spartan warriors, and this was indeed a significant part of the book, but it was ultimately more than that. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Nothing fires the warriors heart more with courage than to find himself and his comrades at the point of annihilation, at the brink of being routed and overrun, and then to dredge not merely from ones own bowels or guts but from ones discipline and training the presence of mind not to panic, not to yield to the possession of despair, but instead to complete those homely acts of. The lions gate is a gate in the fortified walls of the old city of jerusalem. Gates of fire is a 1998 work of historical fiction by steven pressfield centered around the famous battle of thermopylae 480 bc, in which a heavilyoutnumbered force of native greeks led by the spartans held the invading army of the persian empire at bay for several days.
Pressfield s first book, the legend of bagger vance, was published in 1995, and was made into a 2000 film of the same name directed by robert redford and starring will smith, charlize theron, and matt damon. Read gates of fire pdf an epic novel of the battle of thermopylae ebook by steven pressfield epub. Gates of fire by steven pressfield by prezi user on prezi. In the waning seasons of my grandfathers life, when his vigor began to fail and he could move about only with the aid of a. National bestseller an incredibly gripping, moving, and literate work of art, rarely does an author manage to recreate a moment in history with such mastery, authority, and psychological insight. The time they bought enabled the greeks to rallysaving, according to ancient historian herodotus, western democracy and freedom from perishing in the cradle. Gates of fire an incredibly gripping, moving, and literate work of art. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are. An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae 8601400142950. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders.
An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae by steven pressfield in djvu, fb3, txt download ebook. My opinion on this book is that it is a great and interesting read that. Beebe steven nizielski steven husted steven pinker steven. Gates of fire is an impressive retelling of historical events with an epic scope that, like braveheart, will simply make the transition to silver screen with ease. Filmrights to gates of fire have been taken up by george clooneys production company. Gates of fire is on the commandant of the marine corps reading list. No, it is not the source material for the movie 300. Gates of fire by steven pressfield, 9780553580532, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae by pressfield, steven from amazons fiction books store. Nevertheless, in an interview he stated that he still has hope that maybe an influential figure what he terms the decisive element will pick up the project and carry it through to fruition. Despite their eventual defeat, the greek forces became renowned for. Movie rights for this novel have been acquired by universal studios for george clooney and robert lawrences maysville pictures. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Oct 20, 1998 gates of fire is pressfield s henosis. The gates of fire pressfield chapter summary free essays. Pressfield does a wonderful job of inventing believable characters from a period of history ancient greece ive always had a. Steven pressfield steven pressfield the war of art the war of art by steven pressfield pdf the war of art by steven pressfield steven pressfield gates of fire pdf steven cao steven d steven p. Gates of fire puts you at the side of valiant spartan warriors in 480 bc for the bloody, climactic battle at thermopylae. The gates of fire is a historical fiction war thriller set in the times of ancient greece. Gates of fire by steven pressfield ebook g8j free ebook pdf. Gates of fire by steven pressfield overdrive rakuten.
I had no idea what i would do after the legend of bagger vance. Gates of fire by steven pressfield free downloads and. This strikes the reader with a sense of not only what the spartans found heroic but what. Pressfield, i was wandering through waldenbooks with a coupon in my hand, unable to find any books that i truly wanted to buy when the cover of gates of fire caught my eye. Gates of fire by steven pressfield book home facebook. There, a few hundred of spartas finest sacrificed their lives to hold back the invading persian millions. Narrated by the sole survivor of the epic battlea squire in the spartan heavy infantry gates of fire is a mesmerizing depiction of one mans indoctrination into the spartan way of life and death, and of the legendary men and women who gave the culture an immortal gravity. His second novel, gates of fire 1998, is about the spartans and the battle at thermopylae. In 480 bc, king xerxes lead a persian army of between one and two million into greece. The story of the 300 spartans and the battle of thermopylae, 480 bce. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. The young squire xeones is pulled from beneath a burned battle wagon when the carnage finally ends at the narrow mountain pass where. It is lyrical, compelling, thought provoking, and soars above most works of historical fiction at least those that shrug in the mud of military historical fiction.
Rarely does an author manage to recreate a moment in history with such mastery, authority, and. Contribute to randymcmillanwarofart development by creating an account on github. It is taught at west point, the united states naval academy, and at the. At thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern greece, the feared and admired spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Gates of fire topics for discussion steven pressfield this study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of gates of fire.
My students cant get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof. An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae pdf epub book. Gates of fire is a 1998 historical fiction novel by steven pressfield that recounts the battle of thermopylae through xeones, a perioikoi free but noncitizen inhabitant of sparta born in astakos, and one of only three greek survivors of the battle. An insightful view of spartan culture and history from the point of view of a refugee who endures first hand the harsh military training and lifestyle of the spartan soldier.
The first edition of the novel was published in october 20th 1998, and was written by steven pressfield. The author uses characteristics and traits that are lofty. It is also told through xerxes historian who records xeones tale and takes on the role of a third person narrator occasionally throughout the story. Description of gates of fire by steven pressfield pdf gates of fire is the military, thriller, fiction and history novel which describe the battle events between two great nations. This 52page guide for gates of fire by steven pressfield includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 38 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Jan 11, 2012 gates of fire by steven pressfield, 1999, bantam edition, in english. Steven pressfield is currently working on a book about alcibiades. As a former marine, and a bit of a classics buff, gates of fire speaks to me on so many levels. Pauzer pressfield manages to bring one of the most historic and pivotal battles of. This is definately one you cant put down once you get into it. Gates of fire is an historical novel about the immortal military stand of an elite group of spartan warriors at thermopylae against the invading persian millions. The story is told through the helot xeones who is the protagonist in this story. Steven pressfield author steven pressfield is the author of the legend of bagger vance. Gates of fire steven pressfield an epic novel of the battle of.
An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae by steven pressfield online at alibris. An epic novel of the battle of thermopylae steven pressfield book descriptions. Steven pressfield 14 hands of her most inclement foes. Narrated by the sole survivor of the epic battlea squire in the spartan heavy infantrygates of fire is a mesmerizing depiction of one man pdf s indoctrination into the spartan way of life and death, and of the legendary men and women who gave the culture an immortal gravity. One day i was reading herodotus the histories for probably the twentieth time when i came to this passage about the 300 spartans and the battle of thermopylae. Gates of fire by steven pressfield, 1999, bantam edition, in english.
1036 189 383 1052 966 1290 408 589 233 825 680 972 670 1277 1228 992 927 538 1053 206 1229 373 242 1473 789 994 387 247 432