Mary Renault
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, who published her first book in 1939, is best known for her historical novels, and is also noted for her strong interest in same-sex love. In her present-day novels, a large proportion of characters have sexually-ambiguous names which reflect the ambivalence of their orientations. Biographer
claims that her historical novels helped many people to come to terms with their sexuality, giving lesbians and male homosexuals a historical past while offering non-homosexuals a sympathetic world where heterosexuality was neither the only, nor the dominant, sexual type.
's writing has been acclaimed by critics past and present:
has called her one of the most creative historical novelists of our era and the only bona fide Hellenist in twentieth-century fiction. Aside from her fiction,
wrote several short stories, articles, and introductions.
- BirthName: Eileen Mary Challans
- Nickname: Mollywas known as Molly in her childhood, because her mother Clementine was often called Mary in the family. It took a long time for her to achieve being called Mary.
- Pseudonym: Mary Renaultadopted a pseudonym just before her first novel, Purposes of Love, was published. The novel hinted at lesbian love, and she feared dismissal from her nursing job, as well as her mother's disapproval, if the family name was associated with such a topic.almost chose the name Radcliffe after the hospital where she worked, but her partner Julie Mullard pointed out that it was too close to 's name. She then chose Renault, the name of a character in 's Venice Preserv'd and also of the hero of her earlier unfinished novel. She pronounced her pseudonym Ren-olt although others invariably gave it a French pronunciation.
"Mary Renault" 1946-08-06. Retrieved from https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/new-york-new-york-mary-renault-english-author-graduate-of-news-photo/514957456.