The Highest Priestess: Mother of Alexander the Great, Olympia

HISTORICAL

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This historical novel, The Highest Priestess: Mother of Alexander the Great, Olympia, aims to render justice to the life of Olympia, Queen of Ancient Macedonia, and mother of Alexander the Great. It also honours her contribution to our Western civilisation.

The novel begins with the liturgical aspirations of Princess Myrtali of Epirus and traces her life with all of its complexities and passions until her eventual death.

King Philippos of Macedonia gives Princess Myrtali the name, Olympia, and marries her. The Royal wedding takes place in Pella, the capital of Macedonia and Olympia becomes Queen. Olympia’s love for King Philippos is endless. They have a son, Alexander. Although she is despised as a foreigner by some of the generals and citizens, Olympia – High Priestess and Queen – maintains her regal position with grace and dignity. What follows is a quest for power and sovereignty of the Macedonian throne.

Vasso L. Kalamaras (nee Papayiannaki) was born in Athens, Greece. She arrived in Australia during the 1950s and since then has been a permanent resident in Western Australia. Kalamaras is a writer of plays, short fiction, poetry, and novels, published in Greek and English. Some of her stories have been translated into Greek and Chinese, and her work has been included in numerous anthologies in Australia, Greece, America, Canada, China, and France.

Vasso has won many awards in Greece and Australia: first prize in 1978 in Athens for her novel Impressions of a Journey; for her play The Bread Trap in Melbourne, 1981; and the 1992 Hellenism award for her writing. Her collection of poetry and short prose, The Same Light, won the 1990 ‘Western Australian Premier’s Award for fiction’.

For 22 years, Vasso lectured in Modern Greek at C.M.C. of TAFE, Perth Campus, and has been writing since the early 1950s. She was married to Leonidas Kalamaras (artist and sculptor, senior lecturer in Sculpture at the Claremont School of Art for 30 years). They have two sons: Athanasios (artist and sculptor, lecturer in Sculpture and Marble Carving for 20 years at the Claremont School of Art, WA) and Kostas (artist, architect, and current lecturer at TAFE).