Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
New York, Pantheon Books [1972]
Description
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 was sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but found freedom with Alexander after the Macedon army conquered 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.
User reviews
LibraryThing member babydraco
It's "David the King" meets "Memoirs of a Geisha" to be really simplistic. Well, sort of. It's all told from the pov of Alexander the Great's Persian love slave.
The begining is quite creepy and disturbing, but it gets better. The narrator is a Eunuch, I imagine that's a hard perspective to write
Renault does a great job of explaining the difference in philosophy and culture between Asians and Europeans, which will turn out to be vital if you ever want to discuss religion or history seriously.
Bagoas is thrown into a life which is not that different from the lives of women in the same period. He can't be a soldier, he's not thought of as a grown man, he's not even expected to be able to defend himself. He has to fear sexual assult from people who assume he's just up for grabs. He's property.
And yet he still has the same sexist views of women that the men around him do. Go figure. He's trapped between the genders, in a time when that wasn't acceptable.
I would reccomend this book to guys who need to understand the historical perspective of a woman though, "this is how you'd feel if someone treated you that way".
For a book with so much sex in it, about a literal whore, there's hardly any actual sex described. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's very common of books like this to be sketchy about the details of gay sex, especially if the author is a woman (maybe her editor told her "you need to tone that down" or maybe it's a generational thing, I don't know). This is slash by someone with no erotica writing experience. It's not supposed to be sexy, I'd assume, maybe the author didn't even realize people would want the smut. But it's just all so *vague*. When Bagoas says it "hurts him", I didn't at first understand that the author meant he wasn't able to have an orgasm because of what was done to him (in both a physical and psychological sense). It shouldn't be that vague.
He does come off as a little obsessive. But I realized that there are reasons for this. He is, first of all, a teenager in love and we all know that means obsession (but does it have to mean psychosis?). But he's never been loved *back* before, at least since he lost his parents. The mere idea of someone treating him like a human being with feelings could easily convince him to be a little clingy. Obsessing over Alexander is also his job-he is responsible for taking care of and anticipating Alexander's needs and he has been trained not to want anything but his master's happiness. Until he was given to Alexander, his life depended on that and it actually still did, no matter how gentle and egalitarian Alexander seemed.
I don't think a modern person, especially not a Western one, could really identify with being in such a situation.
Still, yeah, he's a bit obsessive and sometimes I got the impression of an incredibly damaged person trying to excuse the behavior of someone they're forced to be dependent on.
Who is that on the cover? It doesn't match the description of either Bagoas or Alexander.
The begining is quite creepy and disturbing, but it gets better. The narrator is a Eunuch, I imagine that's a hard perspective to write
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from. It may be easier for a female author, maybe. Renault does a great job of explaining the difference in philosophy and culture between Asians and Europeans, which will turn out to be vital if you ever want to discuss religion or history seriously.
Bagoas is thrown into a life which is not that different from the lives of women in the same period. He can't be a soldier, he's not thought of as a grown man, he's not even expected to be able to defend himself. He has to fear sexual assult from people who assume he's just up for grabs. He's property.
And yet he still has the same sexist views of women that the men around him do. Go figure. He's trapped between the genders, in a time when that wasn't acceptable.
I would reccomend this book to guys who need to understand the historical perspective of a woman though, "this is how you'd feel if someone treated you that way".
For a book with so much sex in it, about a literal whore, there's hardly any actual sex described. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's very common of books like this to be sketchy about the details of gay sex, especially if the author is a woman (maybe her editor told her "you need to tone that down" or maybe it's a generational thing, I don't know). This is slash by someone with no erotica writing experience. It's not supposed to be sexy, I'd assume, maybe the author didn't even realize people would want the smut. But it's just all so *vague*. When Bagoas says it "hurts him", I didn't at first understand that the author meant he wasn't able to have an orgasm because of what was done to him (in both a physical and psychological sense). It shouldn't be that vague.
He does come off as a little obsessive. But I realized that there are reasons for this. He is, first of all, a teenager in love and we all know that means obsession (but does it have to mean psychosis?). But he's never been loved *back* before, at least since he lost his parents. The mere idea of someone treating him like a human being with feelings could easily convince him to be a little clingy. Obsessing over Alexander is also his job-he is responsible for taking care of and anticipating Alexander's needs and he has been trained not to want anything but his master's happiness. Until he was given to Alexander, his life depended on that and it actually still did, no matter how gentle and egalitarian Alexander seemed.
I don't think a modern person, especially not a Western one, could really identify with being in such a situation.
Still, yeah, he's a bit obsessive and sometimes I got the impression of an incredibly damaged person trying to excuse the behavior of someone they're forced to be dependent on.
Who is that on the cover? It doesn't match the description of either Bagoas or Alexander.
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LibraryThing member saturnloft
It's not very often that you come across a historical novel that portrays events from the vantage point of a eunuch. It's not the easiest perspective for an author to immerse themselves in, but Renault pulls it off with convincing surety.
The narrator of The Persian Boy is Bagoas (based on a real
The perspective on Alexander the Great is also very interesting. Not everyone may agree with Renault's interpretation, but never-the-less, this is quite possibly the most nuanced and thorough fictional rendering of a very mysterious and complex man.
The complicated emotional triangle between Alexander, Bagoas, and Hephaestion is adroitly imagined. There is some definite homosexuality, some sensuous scenes of such, but nothing particularly explicit.
It's not all psychological drama though, there's plenty of action and colorful battle scenes to keep the reader turning pages. As historical novels go, this one is well above average.
The narrator of The Persian Boy is Bagoas (based on a real
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historical person), who was a favorite of Persian king Darius III and went on to become the erômenos or beloved of Alexander the Great. Not much is known about him beyond that but Renault makes him into a very real character, with his own passions and motivations.The perspective on Alexander the Great is also very interesting. Not everyone may agree with Renault's interpretation, but never-the-less, this is quite possibly the most nuanced and thorough fictional rendering of a very mysterious and complex man.
The complicated emotional triangle between Alexander, Bagoas, and Hephaestion is adroitly imagined. There is some definite homosexuality, some sensuous scenes of such, but nothing particularly explicit.
It's not all psychological drama though, there's plenty of action and colorful battle scenes to keep the reader turning pages. As historical novels go, this one is well above average.
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
My introduction to Mary Renault was The King Must Die, the first of two novels about Theseus--it was actually assigned reading in high school. What impressed me so much there was how she took a figure out of myth and grounded him historically. After that I quickly gobbled up all of Renault's works
The first book of that trilogy Fire from Heaven, is about the young Alexander of Macedon before his famous conquests. What we have in the second book is the conqueror of the Persian empire--as seen through the eyes of Bagoas, the "Persian boy" of the title--a eunuch--and one of Alexander's lovers. That was probably a shock to me as a sheltered young teen, pre-AIDS when homosexuality just wasn't very visible. What was amazing was the picture of a society where this was not just tolerated but completely accepted, and this novel (and her novel The Last of the Wine) also featuring a homosexual relationship) made an indelible impression on me--more than any kind of lecture on tolerance.
And this was one of those books that cemented my love of historical fiction and fascination with Ancient Greece. If I have any criticism, it's that Renault's Alexander is too much the paragon. You get the feeling Renault was more than in love with her Alexander. But it's certainly not a criticism that occurred to me while I was reading this--given how fully I was under Renault's spell. Nor am I the only one entranced by these books--you can definitely see the influence of the Alexander trilogy on such books as Jo Graham's Stealing Fire about the wake of Alexander's death and Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles.
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of historical fiction set in Ancient Greece. The two novels about Theseus and the trilogy centered on Alexander the Great are undoubtedly her most famous of those eight novels.The first book of that trilogy Fire from Heaven, is about the young Alexander of Macedon before his famous conquests. What we have in the second book is the conqueror of the Persian empire--as seen through the eyes of Bagoas, the "Persian boy" of the title--a eunuch--and one of Alexander's lovers. That was probably a shock to me as a sheltered young teen, pre-AIDS when homosexuality just wasn't very visible. What was amazing was the picture of a society where this was not just tolerated but completely accepted, and this novel (and her novel The Last of the Wine) also featuring a homosexual relationship) made an indelible impression on me--more than any kind of lecture on tolerance.
And this was one of those books that cemented my love of historical fiction and fascination with Ancient Greece. If I have any criticism, it's that Renault's Alexander is too much the paragon. You get the feeling Renault was more than in love with her Alexander. But it's certainly not a criticism that occurred to me while I was reading this--given how fully I was under Renault's spell. Nor am I the only one entranced by these books--you can definitely see the influence of the Alexander trilogy on such books as Jo Graham's Stealing Fire about the wake of Alexander's death and Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles.
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LibraryThing member taffygold123
A beautiful slave boy Bagoas is originally from a well to do family in ancient Persia and witnesses his father's brutal murder, along with his mother's subsequent suicide. As he is only 10 years old, he doesn't know what happened to his sisters as he was gathered up by the Captain of the assassins,
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to be sold into slavery. His life becomes hell for the next 5 years as the man that purchases him rents him out to uncouth clients. Eventually he end up as a sexual plaything to Darius, king of Persia. Things are better for awhile, but then Alexander the Great comes into the story when Darius is assassinated by his own men, and Bagoas is used as a pawn by one of the assassins as a gift to Alexander in order to obtain his own pardon. Bagoas falls deeply in love with Alexander who is protrayed as kind and fair to those in his care. After some patience and conniving, Bagoas finally gets close to Alexander and they become lovers. Bagoas is many things, young, dramatic, impatient, wise beyond his years because of the life he was thrown into, but ultimately lovable. I re-read this book every couple of years at least. Show Less
LibraryThing member maryh10000
Mary Renault's books will always be my view of Alexander the Great.
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
Mary Renault continues the story of Alexander the Great (the first book was Fire From Heaven) in The Persian Boy. When we catch up with Alexander it has been six years. He is now 26 years old. His prowess as a conqueror cannot be questioned, as it was covered in Fire From Heaven, so Renault chooses
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to explore Alexander's sensual side as he forges a relationship with slave-boy Bagoas. As a eunuch Bagoas is used to being a plaything for royalty. His beauty is beyond compare and when Alexander is presented with Bagoas as a peace offering he cannot refuse. Despite once serving Alexander's Persian enemy Bagoas decides to be loyal to Alexander and make Alexander love him. What follows is the classic struggle of Persian versus Macedonian cultures as Bagoas assumes the narrative. Show Less
LibraryThing member starbox
"We shall have crossed the world to its furthest end"
By sally tarbox on 9 September 2017
Format: Audible Audio Edition
Narrated by the eponymous Persian youth, Bagoas, this is an account of the exploits of Alexander the Great - from Persia, across Central Asia and into India. Bagoas, son of a
Bagoas is utterly smitten with his final master; self-effacing but watchful, silently agonizingly jealous of the King's other intimates. He relates the Macedonian's progress across Asia - the glorious life at court, the king's friendly, first-name terms rapport with his men, the boundless ambition and the affection the two share. But set against this are bloody campaigns, court intrigues and feuds, a desperate journey through an Indian desert..
It's quite a long read but totally brings to life an era in history that I knew little about.
By sally tarbox on 9 September 2017
Format: Audible Audio Edition
Narrated by the eponymous Persian youth, Bagoas, this is an account of the exploits of Alexander the Great - from Persia, across Central Asia and into India. Bagoas, son of a
Show More
nobleman, is captured in his youth, castrated and sold as a eunuch slave. From his wretched first position, 'hired' out to local men by his master, he later enters the court of King Darius... and ultimately that of Alexander.Bagoas is utterly smitten with his final master; self-effacing but watchful, silently agonizingly jealous of the King's other intimates. He relates the Macedonian's progress across Asia - the glorious life at court, the king's friendly, first-name terms rapport with his men, the boundless ambition and the affection the two share. But set against this are bloody campaigns, court intrigues and feuds, a desperate journey through an Indian desert..
It's quite a long read but totally brings to life an era in history that I knew little about.
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LibraryThing member jdgarner68
This is the second book in the trilogy on Alexander the Great by Mary Renault, and I am not as impressed with it as I was with the first; or as impressed as I am of the other great books she has written. Although her prose and description are poetic and almost musical on every page, and her
Why? Because it leans too much on the homo-erotic relationship of Alexander and his pretty Persian eunuch. Too much detail is a turn-off for me, but I still like her work. I must admit I read the book through to the end.
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intimate knowledge of Greek history emanates in this book, I am still a little disappointed.Why? Because it leans too much on the homo-erotic relationship of Alexander and his pretty Persian eunuch. Too much detail is a turn-off for me, but I still like her work. I must admit I read the book through to the end.
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LibraryThing member dbsovereign
Alexander the Great's main man tells his story of devotion and sacrifice. The main character suffers in order to serve and yet [somehow] comes through it all feeling as though it was all worth it...through his humility he triumphs.
LibraryThing member elsyd
A great account of Alexander the Great and his travels, and conquests, of the then known world. I would recommend reading the Author's Notes before embarking on the book. I really liked the second half of the book best--from his arrival in India to the end of the book.
Favorite line: "He is gone;
Favorite line: "He is gone;
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and at all times when he was there seem like lost riches". Show Less
LibraryThing member HarperKingsley
I love Mary Renault and all her writings. I've probably read "Fire From Heaven" twenty times.
The Persian Boy is a lush read, sucking you into a different time and place where rules are completely different from our modern sensibilities. Everything in this book flows and you're captured and pulled
Even knowing how things were going to turn out, I was drawn into this story. And more than anything I wished that I could yell at them and change the way things happened so I could get my HEA.
Still, an incredibly beautiful book, highlighting the fact that Mary Renault was way ahead of her time.
The Persian Boy is a lush read, sucking you into a different time and place where rules are completely different from our modern sensibilities. Everything in this book flows and you're captured and pulled
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into the past, into the lives of Bagoas and through him Alexander.Even knowing how things were going to turn out, I was drawn into this story. And more than anything I wished that I could yell at them and change the way things happened so I could get my HEA.
Still, an incredibly beautiful book, highlighting the fact that Mary Renault was way ahead of her time.
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LibraryThing member Adele_CB
Beautiful prose; an enchanting portrayal of Bagoas's life with Alexander the Great.
LibraryThing member narwhaltortellini
I found this novel very readable and well written, but not enough to my taste to be terribly engaging. It's something like a view of Alexander during this part of his life from the personal viewpoint of someone close to him. While with plenty enough (as far as I know/assume?) author-created
As far as the relationship in the story, it isn't quite what I'd call a romance. Once the main character meets Alexander, he becomes dedicated to him, falls in love with him, has his love returned, and endeavors to keep that love. The main character does little but wait for Alexander and report to us what has been happening in Alexander's life lately. While I can't fault the character himself for this (this way of life probably truly being the best option open to him) it doesn't make for the kind of story I was hoping for.
I remember thinking something similar (that the story was not exactly what I was looking for but still well done for what it was) about the first book I read by this author, The Charioteer. On the other hand, I apparently still enjoyed The Charioteer considerably despite this. Unfortunately it's been too long for me to remember the novel well anymore and to say whether this difference in my reception of this other novel now is a difference between the novels or a change in my tastes over the years.
Either way, while the main character here seems human and well developed, it is still more a story about Alexander and the adoration/devotion he inspires (and perhaps a little on the selfishness or immaturity of young love) than either a romance or even a story of the personal struggles of the main character. I may have only gotten 2/3 of the way through it, but my stopping was less being bored or fed up with the book than simply me figuring I may as well find something to read more suited to me.
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material to be considered fiction, there isn't really a growing narrative in either plot or character development. There's a good bit of description of things that have been happening lately or musings of the main character without a lot of extended scenes (with actions and dialogue) written out.As far as the relationship in the story, it isn't quite what I'd call a romance. Once the main character meets Alexander, he becomes dedicated to him, falls in love with him, has his love returned, and endeavors to keep that love. The main character does little but wait for Alexander and report to us what has been happening in Alexander's life lately. While I can't fault the character himself for this (this way of life probably truly being the best option open to him) it doesn't make for the kind of story I was hoping for.
I remember thinking something similar (that the story was not exactly what I was looking for but still well done for what it was) about the first book I read by this author, The Charioteer. On the other hand, I apparently still enjoyed The Charioteer considerably despite this. Unfortunately it's been too long for me to remember the novel well anymore and to say whether this difference in my reception of this other novel now is a difference between the novels or a change in my tastes over the years.
Either way, while the main character here seems human and well developed, it is still more a story about Alexander and the adoration/devotion he inspires (and perhaps a little on the selfishness or immaturity of young love) than either a romance or even a story of the personal struggles of the main character. I may have only gotten 2/3 of the way through it, but my stopping was less being bored or fed up with the book than simply me figuring I may as well find something to read more suited to me.
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LibraryThing member sirfurboy
A good historical work, that is rightly a classic. The issues, some of which are highly sensitive, are dealt with sympathetically and the story is a faithful reproduction of the life of Alexander the Great.
Nevertheless, I personally found the focus on Alexander from a human perspective, whilst
Nevertheless, I personally found the focus on Alexander from a human perspective, whilst
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skirting over the battles and strategy (an area that would not be known by the protagonist, Bagoas) was a little tiresome. Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
A good novel about a Persian slave boy who is picked up by, and adventures with, Alexander the Great. I was happy to recognize several incidents and characters within - it's very well researched.
I'm not one usually to tolerate love stories and romances and intrigues, but this seemed more palatable.
I'm not one usually to tolerate love stories and romances and intrigues, but this seemed more palatable.
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Give it a shot if you like either history or romance, and don't mind homosexuality. If you are none of these, pass it over. Show Less
LibraryThing member Martin444
Well told imagining of the life of a Persian eunuch that served, serviced and loved first the Persian king and then Alexander and saw the unfolding of near Eastern history.
LibraryThing member presto
The Persian boy, Bagoas, is well born, but his father is betrayed and murdered, Bagoas should have been killed too, but possessing remarkable beauty his father's murderers consider him worth too much. Bagoas is gelded and sold into slavery, but with such beauty it is not long before he comes to the
In the meantime Alexander's unstoppable advance finally catches up with Darius and his army. With Darius defeated Bagoas finds himself being offered to Alexander, and so the seeds are sown for what will become a life ling love affair.
Bagoas narrates the events leading to his service to Alexander, and the relatively few years he accompanies Alexander on his continuing campaigns, through numerous triumphs interspersed with periods of hardship. The love the to men enjoy is unquestioned, and Bagoas puts the care of his new king above everything else. Bagoas only bug is the presence of Hephaistion, Alexander's life long friend and other lover; fortunately, despite his jealousy, Bagoas has the intelligence not to interfere with this relationship. Bagoas relates his account from his mature years when living happily in Egypt, but he tell's only up to Alexander's death.
The Persian Boy is an extremely well written a beautiful love story, a story of devotion and loyalty, a moving and very affecting account - a remarkable read. While a work of fiction, it is founded in fact, and Mary Renault is well informed in matters of ancient history, and she supplies a brief but informative Author's Note which adds to our understanding.
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attention of Darius the king, and is then serving in Darius' bed chamber. In the meantime Alexander's unstoppable advance finally catches up with Darius and his army. With Darius defeated Bagoas finds himself being offered to Alexander, and so the seeds are sown for what will become a life ling love affair.
Bagoas narrates the events leading to his service to Alexander, and the relatively few years he accompanies Alexander on his continuing campaigns, through numerous triumphs interspersed with periods of hardship. The love the to men enjoy is unquestioned, and Bagoas puts the care of his new king above everything else. Bagoas only bug is the presence of Hephaistion, Alexander's life long friend and other lover; fortunately, despite his jealousy, Bagoas has the intelligence not to interfere with this relationship. Bagoas relates his account from his mature years when living happily in Egypt, but he tell's only up to Alexander's death.
The Persian Boy is an extremely well written a beautiful love story, a story of devotion and loyalty, a moving and very affecting account - a remarkable read. While a work of fiction, it is founded in fact, and Mary Renault is well informed in matters of ancient history, and she supplies a brief but informative Author's Note which adds to our understanding.
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LibraryThing member hbergander
Biographical novel about a little-known facet of Alexander's intimate life
LibraryThing member blueraine_91
Amazing book by one of my favorite authors
LibraryThing member ElTomaso
A classic gay themed love story of the highest quality! This would be a great first gay novel! Mary Renualt has given me such comfort and hope as a gay man over the years, as a consequence of reading this and others of her books.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1972
Physical description
419 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
0394481917 / 9780394481913
Local notes
DKR