Italian author Valerio Massimo Manfredi, whose books are the talk of Hollywood, talks to Simon Ritchie.

ALEXANDER The Great is set to become, well, great again thanks to the storytelling genius of Italian author Valerio Massimo Manfredi.

Hollywood is making two films about the young Macedonian king - one starring Irish hellraiser Colin Farrell, the other featuring heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio.

The films have been inspired by the success of Manfredi's acclaimed Alexander trilogy, which charts the rise and untimely death of the legend who became king at 19, lord of the known world at 23, and dead at 32.

Manfredi, professor of classical archaeology at the Luigi Boconni University in Milan, has worked with producer Dino De Laurentis and director Baz Luhrmann on the Colin Farrell film.

"It is exciting to see your characters become real and physical," said Manfredi.

"Everything historical is in the Alexander books. What is created is the dialogue, the personal behaviour, private lives etc. But these have been carefully reconstructed.

"What is lacking in academic history is the third dimension. You have chronological history and political history. In fiction you get to include thing like the weather, dress, perfume, food, sexual life etc. You bring emotion."

Manfredi, who is known as the Indiana Jones of Italy, after carrying out a number of expeditions and excavations throughout the Mediterranean, understands the craving for historical novels.

"Many people do not like their lives. They would like to live in other times. Literature can provide that. It's an escape route.

"We are the results of what went before and people are happy to go back to that world, to go back to their roots.

"I provide a time machine, allowing people to go to interesting places in the world, in interesting times."

Manfedi was in the UK to promote his latest book, The Talisman Of Troy (MacMillan, £14.99). It tells the story of Diomedes, a hero of the war against Troy, who returns home only to be betrayed by his wife, who plots to murder him.

He flees towards the mysterious land known as Hesperia, which one day will become Italy, carrying with him the magical Talisman of Troy, which can make the nation that possesses it invincible.

When Diomedes learns that his lifelong enemy, Aeneas, has landed on Hesperia he tracks him down for a duel to the death.

The film rights of Talisman Of Troy have already been snapped up, as have Manfredi's other novels.

He is working on his next project, The Empire of Dragons, about a Roman legion which ends up in China, a cross between Gladiator meets The Last Samurai. Now what will Hollywood make of that?

COMPETITION

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Updated: 08:49 Wednesday, March 17, 2004