Mary Renault
From QueerBio.com
Country
Great Britain
Birth - Death
1905 - 1983
Occupation
Writer
Description
Historical romantic novelist, notably for 'The Persian Boy' (1972), part of her trilogy on Alexander the Great, and her series of historical novels set in Greece. Her novels often have gay characters, especially present in the historical Greek novels (such as 'The Charioteers' (1953) - considered the first British novel to present homosexuality squarely). Her novel 'Return to Night' (1946) won the $150,000 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Prize and became her first best-seller. Her work has been particularly revered by the LGBTQ community, and she became a gay icon during her lifetime, and she encouraged tolerance towards the community. Her lifelong companion was Julie Mullard, a nurse. Born as Mary Challans.
