Alexius was born in Ancient Athens during a plague epidemic. The child miraculously survived - according to the harsh customs of that time, the father wanted to get rid of him. The boy has grown up. The great philosopher Socrates became his mentor. When Sparta attacked Attica, the young man went to war, fell into the hands of the enemy, escaped from captivity, but his adventures did not end there. Many more trials awaited him.

Miss Mary Renault was born in 1905 into the family of a London doctor. Graduated from St. College Hugh at Oxford, then worked as a nurse and began writing at the same time. Her first novel, “The Purposes of Love,” was published in 1939. The appearance of the novel “The Last Drops of Wine” aroused surprise and great interest, since it was her first work about ancient Greece. Until then, she drew themes for her books from modern life. Among her most famous books are the novels “The Charioteer”, “The King Must Die”, “The Mask of Apollo”. Mary Renault became a member of the Royal Society of Literature in 1959, and two years later became president of PEN South Africa. Died December 13, 1983