Mary Renault

Mary Renault (b. 1905 - d. 1983) was an English novelist best known for her historical novels set in ancient Greece. Her fiction often explored themes of morality and personal identity, and was highly regarded for its accurate historical portrayal of the cultural and political context of Ancient Greece. Renault was considered an expert in the field of Ancient Greek history, and her books are often used as reference works by scholars of literature and history.

Renault was born in London in 1905, where she was raised mostly by her mother and older sister. Her father, a clerk in the Electrical Supply Association, had died before Mary was born. From an early age, Mary showed a precocious interest in reading, particularly English classics and mythology. As a teenager, she attended a series of schools where she excelled in English, Latin and Ancient Greek. She graduated from St Hugh's college in Oxford with a degree in Classics in 1947.

Renault’s earliest fiction writings drew heavily on her extensive reading of Greek classics, combined with her extensive study of the culture and language of ancient Greece. Her first novel, The Charioteer, was published in 1953. Set in classical antiquity, the story followed the experience of a young man during the war between the Achaeans and the Trojans. Through this deeply personal tale of a young man struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality during wartime, the novel achieved both critical and commercial success.

Mary Renault was a true literary pioneer in her exploration of homosexuality in fiction. Her next novel, The King Must Die (1958), continued her work in the theme of personal identity, as well as exploring themes of monotheism and masculinity. Both The King Must Die and its sequel, The Bull from the Sea (1962), are set in the life of Theseus and continue to be studied by scholars. Many of her works also deal with the roles of women in ancient cultures, with an underlying theme of female empowerment.

Other works by Mary Renault focus directly on mythical figures, such as The Last of the Wine (1956) which follows Socrates, and The Mask of Apollo (1966), which follows the life of the great tragedian Aeschylus. Her most famous work, The Persian Boy (1972) is a large biographical novel based on the life of Alexander the Great and his close relationship with the young Persian companion Bagoas.

Often referred to as a "poet of Greece", Mary Renault was one of the most influential historical fiction authors of her time. Her deep understanding of ancient Greek culture, as well as her intellectual yet sympathetic exploration of issues such as homosexuality, were highly influential in her genre. Each of her works offered an accessible yet informative insight into the history, politics and culture of Ancient Greece and those who lived in it. Her legacy lives on, influencing writers and scholars alike for the richness and insight her works offer into a complex and distant culture.