The Persian Boy (Alexander the Great, #2) in Q&A with Erastes

Feb 06, 2010 Jerry rated it it was amazing

Shelves: military, historical, true-love, audio-narration, audio

***Greece just opened palace where Alexander was crowned.***
see note below

This was one of the first books I read as a teenager about a "gay" historical person. I was probably around 13 or 14 at the time. I was just realizing that I was gay and reading about an important historical person was also gay was revolutionary. I remember having a horrid reaction to Bagoas being made eunuch but a good overall feeling about the book, but that was about all. I was not familiar with what a harem was or what ***Greece just opened palace where Alexander was crowned.***
see note below

This was one of the first books I read as a teenager about a "gay" historical person. I was probably around 13 or 14 at the time. I was just realizing that I was gay and reading about an important historical person was also gay was revolutionary. I remember having a horrid reaction to Bagoas being made eunuch but a good overall feeling about the book, but that was about all. I was not familiar with what a harem was or what a eunuch would do for a man, but at 13 I was quite naive.

50 years later, I have gotten immense pleasure out of listening to this book on Audible with wonderful British narration. I also know a lot more about pleasing a man. I am torn between just letting the romance of Ms Renault's historical fiction linger in my brain, or if I should pursue an actual history of Alexander. I think I will listen to the other books of hers before making that decision.

All of history is the story of human communication and the prejudices we are raised with and whether we can overcome them or allow them to rule our lives. Much of the history of Alexander was dealing with the Macedonians prejudice of Persia and Persians, plus all others who were not Macedonian....even some Greeks.

The impression I received from the book about Alexander being gay is not so much that he only wanted men, it was he only wanted Hephaestion during his youth and then Bagoas during his campaigns and essentially the rest of his life. He did marry two women, but in this book he never really lived with them. Ms Renault leads you to believe that Bagoas was so fully trained to attend to his king's every need and because Bagoas could be in the company of men, Alexander had no need of a woman. Whether there was true love between them I am not quite sure. Hard to say when Bagoas at least started out as a slave. I think this is why I feel strongly about going on to the 3rd book to find out more about Bagoas' life after Alexander.

If you love historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.

*****Greece has reopened the ancient palace where Alexander the Great became King of Macedonia some 2,400 years ago after it underwent restoration.
The Palace of Aigai, formally known as the Royal Metropolis of the Macedonians, was the largest building in classical Greece, covering an area of approximately 15,000 square meters, according to the Greek Cultural Ministry. ...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Jane rated it it was amazing

An excellent well-written story of how an ex-prince became a eunuch and fulfilled his destiny in the arms of Alexander the Great!

His early years as a boy and his training as a court eunuch seemed to prepare him for his greatest love ....a love he did not think he would find.

He was Alexander's eromenus for the last eight years of Alexander's life. As great and devoted as he was he was jealous of Hephaestion's special love and place in Alexander's life. In fact it was reported that a Queen mistake ...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Alex Hogan rated it really liked it

Shelves: gay, historical

I had been studying Ancient History in senior high school. I sort of enjoyed it, but it was still school work. Then over the summer I read this book, and feel so heavily in love with Ancient Greece that I have never looked back. It was my first love and is still strong.

I went on to read many of Mary Renault's books, and prefer Fire From Heaven (about Alexander's youth) and Last of the Wine (about Athens during the Peloponnesian War and about Socrates) but this book maintains a special place in m ...more

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