The Persian Boy by Mary Renault Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Persian Boy
Book Review: A Glorious Epic.
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Persian Boy" is a journey back in time, with it Mary Renault succeeds in both capturing the essence of a character and guiding us through the immense campaigns of Alexander The Great. Like "Fire From Heaven," it is a brilliant mix of drama and history, written with a detail so vivid that there is no doubt that Renault is a serious historian who loves the subjects she writes about and has studied all aspects of the history and culture. Renault was always bold and with a wealth of character to choose from who travelled with Alexander she chose one of the most controversial and sexually charged, Bagoas the eunuch. Little is known of this gift offered to Alexander as part of a surrender and after the death of the Macedonian conqueror he disappears from the pages of history, what is recorded is that he was a favorite of Alexander's, and as was the custom at the time, a lover as well. Since the character is so murky, Renault has free will to invent as she pleases with his life and in the novel he comes from a well respected family destroyed by Persian traitors who sell Bagoas into slavery, castrate him and soon use him as an onject of pleasure. "Fire From Heaven" was a Greek novel, set almost entirely in the world of Macedon and Greece, but with "The Persian Boy" Renault offers us the oriental point of view. She captures the culture with perfection, displaying the lands and people that are now Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan with vivid details about the dress, customs, religion and habits. Once Bagoas is given to Alexander (after fleeing with the Great King Darius who is killed by his own commanders) the novel really becomes epic as Bagoas follows Alexander from Bactria to India and Babylon. It is a tale of humility and devotion as Bagoas realizes he is being treated as a human being for the first time in his life by this young conqueror who is more humble and understanding than any before or since. Renault's historical novels have always shined because they capture the humanity behind the events, behind the iconic figures and towering events. The world is changed by individuals with their own personal histories and Renault captures how hates, loves, passions, devotions and obsessions have changed the course of history. Some have accused Renault of deifying Alexander, but his faults also appear and he comes across as a brilliant thinker and commander who may also have slipped and fallen but always with a drive to discover. Classicists and Alexander students will enjoy how Renault includes famous passages from history with gusto and style such as when Alexander falls in love with the Bactrian princess Roxane one night as she performs a ritual dance after the Macedonians capture the Sogdian Rock. There are moments of passive thought and moments of great intensity and action, with drama that burns off the page. Alexander's travels are described with epic spirit as Bagoas too discovers the harsh rains of India and the horrors of crossing the desert to Babylon. "The Persian Boy" is one of the great historical novels, highly recommended because it has a real heart at its center. This is not a novel by someone who felt like writing about Alexander, this is a novel by someone who is an expert on the subject and has done her research with incredible detail. Her dramatic speculation is always smart and plausible, and goes with the evidence we have. This is a masterpiece, a timeless work of literature for the ages.Book Review: A History Lesson and a Love Story
Summary: 5 Stars
Mary Renault initially captured my attention with Fire From Heaven, the first of the Alexander novels, and gave new life to this revered warrior and hero. But with The Persian Boy, as told through the eyes of Bagoas, a slave boy who becomes confidant, advisor, and lover to Alexander, she humanizes this historical figure even further, and gives him attributes that the history books neglect, those of a man. She probes his mind, as witnessed by the eyes of adoring Bagoas, who first reveres Alexander as his master, and then dotes upon him as lover. Bagoas remains faithful to Alexander through months of separation during the conquest of Greece, and stands by his side despite treacherous efforts to discredit and dethrone his King, through Alexander's 'relationship' with his boyhood companion Hephaistion, and his 'marriage of convenience' to Roxane. This novel, while it appealed to me on a romantic level, also exemplifies the nature of love, be it between man and woman, or man and man, as a fevered, passionate longing for another, a sense of loyalty to them and to your relationship with them, during hard months of separation, and a desire to do anything to please and/or comfort them. However, the book also accurately recreates Alexander's journey of seige across Greece, and the hardships he and his followers endured. Readers would be hard pressed to find a more descriptive and honest look at Alexander the Great as a flesh and blood creature, and not just the conquering hero of many bloody battles which history books offer us.
Book Review: A Wistful, Glimmering Once-Upon-a-Time
Summary: 5 Stars
Not being a classicist at the time, I was a little discouraged when I first picked up _The Persian Boy_. Forty pages in, and I couldn't keep names like Nabarzanes, Orxines, and Oxathres straight in my mind. However, Renault's thoughtful, unpretentious prose and her ability to evoke that *perfect* image soon had me - to use a tired but appropriate term - hooked. Bagoas' narrative is infused with devotion and youthful foolishness, recounting Alexander's triumphs and blunders with a refreshing endearment. This book has occasionally come under fire from Alexander-buffs, who accuse it of being a rather romanticized account of the tale. But of *course* it's romanticized! What one must bear in mind, though, is that this is a romanticization that takes care not to transgress the facts. Renault has done her research, and her blend of humanity and historical detail resurrect - through the eyes of lovesick Bagoas - an Alexander both winsome and sad. This book is a humble gem, and one that leaves the reader with a comforting message, that yes, it's all right to believe in heroes.Book Review: A different era, different morals
Summary: 5 Stars
Though a romantic vision of Alexander, it is well put together and closer to historical truth than most. Having read many of the ancient sources on Alexander, including Arrian, Plutarch, Curtius, it is evident that the negative accounts come from Curtius who shows himself to be unreliable as a historian, embellishing and fabricating wherever it pleases him (its bias shows In the Footsteps..., which is sadly not very reliably researched). Renault follows mostly Arrian who used Ptolemy I as his main source (and who was a member of Alexander's expedition). Alexander was insatiable and self-destructive in his quest for glory, competing with as his rival, the hero Achilles, and therein lies the human interest in his life's story. His passion for conquest should not be judged by today's moral standards. It is absurd to assume that Alexander if he were alive today would go about conquering nations - just as preposterous as it is to think that we would be prostrating ourselves in front of him, believing he was the son of Zeus. His conscience was shaped by Aristotle among others, who though one of the greatest thinkers of his day, was also subject to the era's ideological shortcomings. My only criticism of Renault would be that the role of Bagoas, should be credited to Hephaistion, but as a fictional device it works well to propagate the Persian side of things.Book Review: A fine addition to the homosexual studies collection
Summary: 4 Stars
This book had its use, contained accurate macro historical accounts, but one has to sift through all the petty concerns of the gay eunuch's affections and jealousies towards Alexander the Great, all of which the homosexual readers will enjoy very much though. Not that there is anything wrong with that for those who play on the other team. Just that I wasn't able to enjoy it as they can since I don't play on that team. More like a dysfunctional soap opera in relation to contemporary western culture. Not much action in terms of battle scenes. The book makes a great reference on the topic of Boy Love in the ancient world.