Steven Saylor (born March 23, 1956) is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the
University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and
classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
.
Saylor's best-known work is his ''
Roma Sub Rosa''
historical mystery series, set in ancient Rome. The novels' hero is a detective named
Gordianus the Finder, active during the time of
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force.
Sulla had ...
,
Cicero,
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
, and
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
. Outside this crime novel series, Saylor has also written three epic-length historical novels about the city of Rome, ''
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
'', ''
Empire'', and ''
Dominus''. His work has been published in 21 languages.
Saylor has also written two novels set in Texas. ''A Twist at the End'', featuring
O. Henry
William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the M ...
, is set in Austin in the 1880s and based on real-life serial murders and trials (the case of the so-called
Servant Girl Annihilator). ''Have You Seen Dawn?'' is a contemporary thriller set in a fictional Texas town, Amethyst, based on Saylor's hometown,
Goldthwaite, Texas.
Saylor contributed autobiographical essays to three anthologies of gay writing edited by
John Preston, ''Hometowns'', ''A Member of the Family'', and ''Friends and Lovers'', and prior to his novel-writing career he published gay
erotic fiction
Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically on sexual feelin ...
under the pen name Aaron Travis.
Saylor has lived with Richard Solomon since 1976; they registered as
domestic partners
A domestic partnership is a legal relationship, usually between couples, who live together and share a common domestic life, but are not married (to each other or to anyone else). People in domestic partnerships receive benefits that guarantee r ...
in San Francisco in 1991 and later dissolved that partnership in order to legally marry in October 2008. The couple split their time between properties in
Berkeley, California, and
Austin, Texas.
Bibliography
Roma Sub Rosa series
Listed in publication order. For a chronological listing, see the separate
Roma Sub Rosa article.
*''
Roman Blood'' (1991), in which Gordianus is hired by the great orator and advocate
Cicero in 80 BC. Like several novels in the series, this one is based on a trial oration by Cicero, in this case ''In Defence of Sextus Roscius of Ameria'' (''Pro Sexto Roscio Amerino'').
*''
Arms of Nemesis
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
'' (1992), featuring
Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115 – 53 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome." Wallechinsky, David & Wallace, I ...
, is set during the slave revolt of
Spartacus in 72 BC.
*''
Catilina's Riddle'' (1993), featuring
Cicero and the title character,
Catilina, is set during his rebellion in 63 BC.
*''
The Venus Throw'' (1995), featuring the poet
Catullus, is set during the trial of Marcus Caelius in 56 BC for the murder of
Dio of Alexandria.
*''
A Murder on the Appian Way'' (1996), set just before the civil war between Caesar and
Pompey, focused on the murder of the rabble-rouser
Publius Clodius Pulcher on the
Appian Way outside Rome.
*''
The House of the Vestals'' (1997), a collection of nine short stories which take place between the first novel and the second, during the period 80-72 BC.
*''
Rubicon'' (1999), in which Caesar crosses the
Rubicon and the members of the Senate flee Rome, plunging the Roman world into civil war.
*''
Last Seen in Massilia
''Last Seen in Massilia'' is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2000. It is the eighth book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roman Republic ...
'' (2000) takes place in Massilia (now
Marseille) during the siege of the city by Caesar's troops.
*''
A Mist of Prophecies
''A Mist of Prophecies'' is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2002. It is the ninth book in his ''Roma Sub Rosa'' series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. ...
'' (2002) is set in the city of Rome during the Roman civil war.
*''
The Judgment of Caesar
''The Judgment of Caesar'' is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2004. It is the tenth book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roman Republic. ...
'' (2004) takes place in Egypt, when Caesar met queen
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
in 48 BC.
*''
A Gladiator Dies Only Once'' (2005), another collection of short stories which take place between the first novel and the second.
*''
The Triumph of Caesar
''The Triumph of Caesar'' is a historical mystery novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2008. It is the twelfth book in his ''Roma Sub Rosa'' series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roma ...
'' (2008) is set in Rome during Caesar's triumphal celebrations in 46 BC.
*''
The Seven Wonders'' (2012), a
fix-up novel, is a prequel recounting the journey of the young Gordianus to see the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World beginning in 92 BC.
* "Ill Seen in Tyre" (2014), in the cross-genre anthology ''
Rogues
A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior.
Rogue or rogues may also refer to:
Companies
* Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon
* Rogue Arts, a film production company
* Rogue Entertainment, a software comp ...
'', edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, set in 91 BC just before the Epilogue of ''
The Seven Wonders''
*''
Raiders of the Nile'' (2014) is a direct sequel to ''The Seven Wonders'', about the further adventures of young Gordianus in Egypt and a plot to steal the golden sarcophagus of
Alexander the Great, set in 88 BC.
*''
Wrath of the Furies'' (2015) is a direct sequel to ''Raiders of the Nile'', where young Gordianus must travel incognito into the lands ruled by
Mithridates the Great, set in 88 BC.
*''
The Throne of Caesar
''The Throne of Caesar'' is a historical mystery novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by Minotaur Books in 2018. It is the thirteenth book in his ''Roma Sub Rosa'' series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roman ...
'' (2018) is set in Rome during Caesar's murder in March 44 BC.
Roma series
*''
Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome'' (2007), a 1000-year novel of the rise of ancient Rome from its first settlement to the assassination of Julius Caesar.
*''"The Eagle and the Rabbit"'' (2013) - short story set in 146 BC (collected in ''Future, Present, Past'' )
*''
Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome'' (2010) spans several generations with the end of the reign of
Augustus in 14 AD through the reign of
Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
in 141 AD.
*''Dominus'' (July 2021) spans several generations from 165 to 325 AD
Other books
*''A Twist at the End'' (UK title: ''Honour the Dead'') (2000), based on the
Servant Girl Annihilator killings in the 1880s in Austin, Texas, closely reconstructs the murders and the ensuing trials, with young William Sydney Porter (
O. Henry
William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the M ...
) playing a fictional role.
*''Have You Seen Dawn?'' (2003) is a modern-day thriller set in a small town in Texas.
*''Future, Present, Past'' (2013) is a collection of three short stories set in different time periods.
*''My Mother's Ghost'' (2013) is a collection of three autobiographical essays and a short story.
*''A Bookish Bent'' (2013) is a collection of various essay and articles.
;Erotic fiction under the pseudonym Aaron Travis
[The complete works published under the Aaron Travis pen name were reissued in ]Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store. ...
and Barnes & Noble Nook editions in 2012.
Novels
*''Slaves of the Empire'' (1985) - set in
Rome.
*''The Flesh Fables'' (1990)
*''Beast of Burden'' (1993)
*''Big Shots'' (1993)
*''In the Blood'' (1995)
Novellas
*''Blue Light'' (1980)
*''Beirut'' (2012)
*''Crown of Thorns'' (2012)
*''Eden'' (2012)
*''Kip'' (2012)
*''Military Discipline'' (2012)
*''Short, Brainy, & Hot'' (2012)
*''Slave'' (2012)
*''Wild West'' (2013)
Collections
*''Exposed'' (1994)
*''Tag Team Studs'' (1997) (with Clay Caldwell)
*''Kudzu and Other Stories'' (2012)
*''Raw'' (2012)
*''Wrestling Tales'' (2012)
*''No Shades of Gray'' (2012)
Anthologies edited
*''QSF x 2'' (1995) (with Lars Eighner)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saylor, Steven
American crime fiction writers
American gay writers
American LGBT novelists
American male novelists
Lambda Literary Award winners
LGBT people from Texas
People from Goldthwaite, Texas
People from Port Lavaca, Texas
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people
University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts alumni
Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity
Writers of historical mysteries
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American novelists
1956 births
Living people