TheBestseller
Observatory
1972
THE PERSIAN BOY
Mary Renault
Cover of THE PERSIAN BOY

THE PERSIAN BOY

by Mary Renault

Pantheon · 1972

Peak rank

#4

Weeks on list

23

Chart History

#15101519721973
dashed = off the list

23 weeks on the Hardcover Fiction list, peaking at #4

"It takes skill to depict, as Miss Renault has done, this half-man, half Courtesan who is so deeply in love with the warrior."-"The Atlantic Monthly"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.

All Appearances

Details

Published
1972
Pages
440
Publisher
Pantheon
Categories
Fiction

When you purchase a book through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review.