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Cleopatra

A Novel

Author Saara El-Arifi

Hardcover

$30.00 US

Ballantine Group | Ballantine Books

6-1/8"W x 9-1/4"H | 20 oz | 12 per carton

On sale Feb 24, 2026 | 352 Pages | 9780593875643

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Cleopatra tells her own story in this evocative and sensuous historical epic from the bestselling and award-winning author of Faebound and The Final Strife.

“Enchanting, smart, and subversive—this is El-Arifi’s masterpiece.”—R.F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis

This stunning edition includes designed endpapers and a custom case stamp.

YOU KNOW MY NAME, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.

Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall.

Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves.

Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children.

How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, and divinely blessed to rule.

Death will silence me no longer.

This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.

Saara El-Arifi is the internationally bestselling author of The Ending Fire Trilogy and the Faebound Trilogy inspired by her Ghanaian and Sudanese heritage. She has lived in many countries, had many jobs, and owned many more cats. After a decade of working in marketing and communications, she returned to academia to complete a master’s degree in African studies alongside her writing career. El-Arifi knew she was a storyteller from the moment she told her first lie. Over the years, she has perfected her tall tales into epic ones. She currently resides in London as a full-time procrastinator. View titles by Saara El-Arifi

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• Singapore

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• Slovenia

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• South Sudan

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• St.Pier,Miquel.

• Sth Terr. Franc

• Sudan

• Suriname

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• Syria

• Tadschikistan

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• Thailand

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• Turkey

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• Dominica

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• Gambia

• Ghana

• Gibraltar

• Grenada

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• Guyana

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• Jersey

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• Kiribati

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• Maldives

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“Enchanting, smart, and subversive—this is El-Arifi’s masterpiece.”—R.F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis

“Lush world-building and lyrical prose . . . Cleopatra’s fascinating life is portrayed on her own terms, as readers have never encountered her before.”—Jennifer Saint, #1 internationally bestselling author of Ariadne

“An extraordinary achievement that raises Cleopatra from the sands of time and liberates her from the judgment of men, granting her dignity and humanity.”—Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

“A compassionate, beautiful and lustrous insight into Cleopatra. Saara El-Arifi is a master of her craft.”—Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

“Saara El-Arifi is true brilliance, and this book cements her as one of the most prolific and important writers of the moment.”—Hannah Kaner, bestselling author of Godkiller

“Saara El-Arifi’s passion for and deep knowledge of her subject are always apparent, giving Cleopatra’s famous story a new and unique twist.”—Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

“Epic in scope but fine in detail, Cleopatra is a searing, masterful depiction of this incredible queen. This novel establishes El-Arifi as the voice of a generation.”—Amy McCulloch, bestselling author of Breathless

“Vividly realized and skillfully unraveled, El-Arifi'’s Cleopatra is as insightful as it is engrossing. It brings Aa sorely needed new light.”—Kat Dunn, author of Hungerstone

“Bold, beautiful, and breathtakingly brilliant, Cleopatra is destined to bring El-Arifi to even greater heights.”—Katherine Webber, bestselling co-author of Twin Crowns

“Captivating and deeply moving—it will stay with me for a long time.”—A. S. Webb, bestselling author of Daughter of Chaos

About

Creators

Available for sale exclusive:

• Canada

• Guam

• Minor Outl.Ins.

• North Mariana

• Philippines

• Puerto Rico

• Samoa,American

• US Virgin Is.

• USA

Available for sale non-exclusive:

• Afghanistan

• Aland Islands

• Albania

• Algeria

• Andorra

• Angola

• Anguilla

• Antarctica

• Argentina

• Armenia

• Aruba

• Austria

• Azerbaijan

• Bahrain

• Belarus

• Belgium

• Benin

• Bolivia

• Bonaire, Saba

• Bosnia Herzeg.

• Bouvet Island

• Brazil

• Bulgaria

• Burkina Faso

• Burundi

• Cambodia

• Cameroon

• Cape Verde

• Centr.Afr.Rep.

• Chad

• Chile

• China

• Colombia

• Comoro Is.

• Congo

• Cook Islands

• Costa Rica

• Croatia

• Cuba

• Curacao

• Czech Republic

• Dem. Rep. Congo

• Denmark

• Djibouti

• Dominican Rep.

• Ecuador

• Egypt

• El Salvador

• Equatorial Gui.

• Eritrea

• Estonia

• Ethiopia

• Faroe Islands

• Finland

• France

• Fren.Polynesia

• French Guinea

• Gabon

• Georgia

• Germany

• Greece

• Greenland

• Guadeloupe

• Guatemala

• Guinea Republic

• Guinea-Bissau

• Haiti

• Heard/McDon.Isl

• Honduras

• Hong Kong

• Hungary

• Iceland

• Indonesia

• Iran

• Iraq

• Israel

• Italy

• Ivory Coast

• Japan

• Jordan

• Kazakhstan

• Kuwait

• Kyrgyzstan

• Laos

• Latvia

• Lebanon

• Liberia

• Libya

• Liechtenstein

• Lithuania

• Luxembourg

• Macau

• Macedonia

• Madagascar

• Mali

• Marshall island

• Martinique

• Mauritania

• Mayotte

• Mexico

• Micronesia

• Moldavia

• Monaco

• Mongolia

• Montenegro

• Morocco

• Myanmar

• Nepal

• Netherlands

• New Caledonia

• Nicaragua

• Niger

• Niue

• North Korea

• Norway

• Oman

• Palau

• Palestinian Ter

• Panama

• Paraguay

• Peru

• Poland

• Portugal

• Qatar

• Reunion Island

• Romania

• Russian Fed.

• Rwanda

• Saint Martin

• San Marino

• SaoTome Princip

• Saudi Arabia

• Senegal

• Serbia

• Singapore

• Sint Maarten

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• South Korea

• South Sudan

• Spain

• St Barthelemy

• St.Pier,Miquel.

• Sth Terr. Franc

• Sudan

• Suriname

• Svalbard

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• Syria

• Tadschikistan

• Taiwan

• Thailand

• Timor-Leste

• Togo

• Tunisia

• Turkey

• Turkmenistan

• Ukraine

• Unit.Arab Emir.

• Uruguay

• Uzbekistan

• Vatican City

• Venezuela

• Vietnam

• Wallis,Futuna

• West Saharan

Not available for sale:

• Antigua/Barbuda

• Australia

• Bahamas

• Bangladesh

• Barbados

• Belize

• Bermuda

• Bhutan

• Botswana

• Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter

• Brit.Virgin Is.

• Brunei

• Cayman Islands

• Christmas Islnd

• Cocos Islands

• Cyprus

• Dominica

• Falkland Islnds

• Fiji

• Gambia

• Ghana

• Gibraltar

• Grenada

• Guernsey

• Guyana

• India

• Ireland

• Isle of Man

• Jamaica

• Jersey

• Kenya

• Kiribati

• Lesotho

• Malawi

• Malaysia

• Maldives

• Malta

• Mauritius

• Montserrat

• Mozambique

• Namibia

• Nauru

• New Zealand

• Nigeria

• Norfolk Island

• Pakistan

• PapuaNewGuinea

• Pitcairn Islnds

• S. Sandwich Ins

• Seychelles

• Sierra Leone

• Solomon Islands

• Somalia

• South Africa

• Sri Lanka

• St. Helena

• St. Lucia

• St. Vincent

• St.Chr.,Nevis

• Swaziland

• Tanzania

• Tokelau Islands

• Tonga

• Trinidad,Tobago

• Turks&Caicos Is

• Tuvalu

• Uganda

• United Kingdom

• Vanuatu

• Western Samoa

• Yemen

• Zambia

• Zimbabwe

Cleopatra

A Novel

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Cleopatra

A Novel

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Other Books by this Author

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