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 First US edition | |
| Author | Mary Renault |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Michelangelo – Female head with earring |
| Language | English |
| Series | Alexander the Great |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Longman (UK) Pantheon Books (US) |
Publication date | 23 October 1972 (UK) November 1972 (US) |
| Publication place | South Africa |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 410pp (UK), 419pp (US) |
| ISBN | 0-582-10542-0 (UK), 0-394-48191-7 (US) |
| OCLC | 369921 |
| 823/.9/12 | |
| LC Class | PZ3.R2913 Pe PR6035.E55 |
| Preceded by | Fire from Heaven |
| Followed by | Funeral Games |
The Persian Boy is a 1972 historical novel written by Mary Renault and narrated by Bagoas, a young Persian from an aristocratic family who is captured by his father's enemies, castrated, and sold as a slave to king Darius III, who makes him his favourite. Eventually he becomes the lover and most faithful servant of Alexander the Great, who overthrew Darius and captured the Persian Empire. Bagoas' narration provides both a Persian view of the conquest and an intimate look at the personality of the conqueror. In Renault's view, Alexander's love for Bagoas influenced his desire to unite the Greek and Persian peoples. Renault also posits the notion that Alexander's relentless drive to conquer the world stemmed in part from his troubled relationship with his domineering mother, and his desire to "escape" from her influence by leading his army ever eastward.
The novel is a sequel to Renault's Fire from Heaven (1969). The Persian Boy was a bestseller within the gay community.[1]
- ^ Slide, Anthony (2003). Lost Gay Novels: A Reference Guide to Fifty Works from the First Half of the Twentieth Century. Routledge. p. 152.
The Charioteer (1953), The Last of the Wine (1956), and particularly The Persian Boy (1972) quickly became best-sellers within the gay community...