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In the second novel of her stunning trilogy, Mary Renault vividly imagines the life of Alexander the Great, the charismatic leader whose drive and ambition created a legend.
The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper. After Alexander's mysterious death, we are left wondering if this Persian boy understood the great warrior and his ambitions better than anyone.
Author: Mary Renault
Hardback Published 29 October 2024
'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