English Literature, 20th cent. to the Present: Biographies

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature Further reading

Mary Renault

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Mary Renault pseud. of Mary Challens, 1905-83, English novelist, b. London. After receiving her nursing degree in 1936, she emigrated to South Africa. She was best-known for her historical novels about ancient Greece and Rome, including The King Must Die (1958), The Mask of Apollo (1966), Fire from Heaven (1970), and The Persian Boy (1973). Renault's works often revolve around homosexuality and the struggles of men and women to forge a sexual identity; this struggle is the central focus of The Charioteer (1955), a study of soldiers in World War II, widely regarded as her finest novel.

Bibliography: See studies by P. Wolfe (1969) and B. F. Dick (1972).

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Renault, Mary

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | | Copyright

Renault, Mary, pseudonym of Mary Challans (1905–83), novelist, known principally for her historical novels, most of which are set in Ancient Greece or Asia Minor. They include The King Must Die (1958), The Bull from the Sea (1962), and The Persian Boy (1972).

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Renault, Mary." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Renault, Mary." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-RenaultMary.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Renault, Mary." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-RenaultMary.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Masquing the phallus: genital ambiguity in Mary Renault's historical novels. Magazine article from: Twentieth Century Literature; 6/22/1996
	Mary Renault: A Biography. Magazine article from: Contemporary Review; 7/1/1993
	Before she went Greek: novelist Mary Renault threw her own gay sexuality into... Magazine article from: The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine); 7/22/2003