THE ROMANCE OF THE DANCING BOY - APHRODITE EDITION

A Mythic Love Story in Four Parts

By Mazahir Hussain

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Mazahir Hussain's debut book is a beautifully crafted tale of The Dancing Boy.

It is the semi-autobiographical story of queer romance, a re-imagining of Greek mythologies with its narrative spaceshifting between the modern day, historic eras and the fairytale.
It is, of course, a universal tale: love is sought, found, lost and finally... will there be a happy ending or another Greek tragedy?

We encounter The Dancing Boy via multiple prisms of the same handsome, brown and hirsute character, told and retold in different forms.
Brown-body positivity, ancient lore and modern life are all connected in Mazahir's storytelling hands, through the four parts of The Dancing Boy's love journey:

Part 1 - We meet our hero at home in his wistful single life, full of daydreams and wishful poetry, and follow him on his furtive steps into night life and the promising bubbles of excitement.

Part 2 - A flame is lit with the realisation of those daydreams coming to bountiful, heady fruition: A new lover. A meeting of minds and bodies as we share in his wide-eyed, newly-found romance, both tender and lustful. Love is all-encompassing and is forever and ever.

Part 3 - Except sometimes the playful love arrow of Eros can in human hands become twisted into the shape of a spear... There can be no Greek mythic tale without betrayal and heartbreak.

Part 4 - It is now up to the kindness and support from friends: The Dancing Boy meets the three Charites, heroic figures that symbolize an uplifting community and a healing process.

Along the way, we'll be reintroduced to a pantheon of Greek Gods, brought to life as supporting characters in The Dancing Boy's story.

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Mazahir Hussain is a queer, self-taught illustrator based in Birmingham. Drawing from his educational background of literature, he uses mythology and fairy tales to depict scenes of queer romance and sensuality. Recurring themes in his work include the portrayal of body hair, the romanticisation of brown bodies and the merging of gender tropes.