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The Persian Boy Mary Renault

The Persian Boy By Mary Renault

The Persian Boy by Mary Renault


£14.09
New RRP £16.99
Condition - New
40+ in stock

Summary

A stunning new hardback edition of Mary Renault's masterpiece: a groundbreaking queer classic and 'one of the greatest historical novels ever written' (Sarah Waters). Perfect for fans of Madeline Miller, Natalie Haynes and Pat Barker.

The Persian Boy Summary

The Persian Boy: A Novel of Alexander the Great: A Virago Modern Classic by Mary Renault

'One of the greatest historical novels ever written'
SARAH WATERS

'I love to find queer representation in historical fiction. . . Renault's eye for intimacy is amazing'
DOUGLAS STUART

'Fierce, complex and eloquent'
MADELINE MILLER

'Mary Renault is a shining light'
HILARY MANTEL

***

A groundbreaking queer classic and powerful reimagining of the last years of Alexander the Great, told through the eyes of his lover.

I thought, There goes my lord, whom I was born to follow. I have found a king.
And, I said to myself, looking after him as he walked away, I will have him, if I die for it.

Bagoas, abducted as a boy and sold as a eunuch, has been transported to the heart of the Persian court as courtesan to King Darius. But when the Macedon army conquers his homeland, Bagoas finds freedom at the hands of their golden young commander, whose name is already becoming a legend: Alexander.

Their encounter sparks a passionate devotion that shapes the Persian boy's future - and deepens into a relationship that will sustain them both through assassination plots, political intrigue and the threat of Alexander's own restless ambition. This is a spellbinding tale of power, loyalty and loss - a vision of history transfigured by love.

'Nowhere else in fiction have Alexander's beauty and charisma blazed with such potency'
TOM HOLLAND

'Passionate and captivating'
SEAN HEWITT

'All my sense of the ancient world - its value, its style, the scent of its wars and passions - comes from Mary Renault'
EMMA DONOGHUE

'The Alexander Trilogy stands as one of the most important works of fiction in the 20th century'
ANTONIA SENIOR, THE TIMES

The Persian Boy Reviews

Renault's skill is in immersing us in their world, drawing us into its strangeness, its violence and beauty . . . a literary conjuring trick . . . so convincing and passionately conjured * The Times *
I love to find queer representation in historical fiction. This is a reframing of the later years of Alexander the Great's life, told from the perspective of his young, gelded lover, the servant Bagoas. Renault's eye for intimacy is amazing and it's really moving to see the warrior through his lover's adoring gaze. You'll be left wishing that someone worshipped you like that.

About Mary Renault

Mary Renault (1905-1983) was born in London and educated at St Hughs, Oxford. She trained as a nurse at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary, where she met her lifelong partner, Julie Mullard. Her first novel, Purposes of Love, was published in 1937. In 1948, after North Face won a MGM prize worth $150,000, she and Mullard emigrated to South Africa. There, Renault was able to write forthrightly about homosexual relationships for the first time - in her masterpiece, The Charioteer (1953), and then in her first historical novel, The Last of the Wine (1956). Renault's vivid novels set in the ancient world brought her worldwide fame. In 2010 Fire From Heaven was shortlisted for the Lost Booker of 1970.

Additional information

NGR9780349018553
9780349018553
0349018553
The Persian Boy: A Novel of Alexander the Great: A Virago Modern Classic by Mary Renault
New
Hardback
Little, Brown Book Group
2024-07-18
496
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a new book - be the first to read this copy. With untouched pages and a perfect binding, your brand new copy is ready to be opened for the first time

Customer Reviews - The Persian Boy