“I Want to Keep Telling Stories”

MADELINE MILLER (Photo Credit: Nina Subin)

Madeline Miller was born in Boston, MA, and raised in New York City and Philadelphia. This 33 year old’s debut novel is a retelling of the myths surrounding the Greek hero Achilles, as narrated by his closest companion and lover Patroclus.

She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics and has also studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, and in the Dramaturgy department at Yale School of Drama, where she focused on the adaptation of classical texts to modern forms.

For the last ten years she has been teaching and tutoring Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. She currently lives in Cambridge, MA, where she teaches and writes.

Miller talks to The Sip of Life Moderator, Amit Roy, about her novel, how writing fascinates her and how she intends to carry it forward in times to come.

SOL: Tell us a little about you before we ask about your book?
MADELINE: I was born in Boston, MA, and raised in New York City and Philadelphia. I attended college and graduate school at Brown University. My fiancé and I currently live in Cambridge, MA.

SOL: How did your debut novel, The Song of Achilles come about?
MADELINE: I began work on “The Song of Achilles” right after graduating from college. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to write from Patroclus’ perspective. I found him a very moving character, loyal, self-sacrificing, and kind, and was fascinated by Achilles’ intense grief and rage at his death. I worked on the book for the next ten years, between teaching, directing plays and graduate school. Finally, in the spring of 2010, I found an agent and shortly afterwards the book was sold in both the US and UK. Having that happen was an absolute dream come true—after spending so long with these characters, it was gratifying to see that other people might enjoy them too.

SOL: What is the story line of the novel and how is it related to Greek myths?
MADELINE: The novel is a retelling of the myths surrounding the Greek hero Achilles, as narrated by his closest companion and lover Patroclus. I drew from all sorts of ancient sources for details of Achilles’ life, but was particularly inspired by Homer and the Iliad.

SOL: We have been told you have degrees in Latin and ancient Greek from the Brown University. What made you opt for them?
MADELINE: I have loved Classics since I was a little girl. My mother began reading me the stories of the Trojan War when I was five and I simply fell head over heels for them. As soon as my school offered Latin, I jumped at the chance, and discovered that, aside from the wonderful myths and history, I also loved learning about linguistic roots. It seemed like a magic trick to me, seeing how the Latin word “canis” became the modern English “canine.” So, I kept up my studies, and added Greek as well. Once I began reading things like the Iliad and Aeneid in the original languages, I knew there was no going back. I was hooked for life! I was also fortunate to have some really wonderful teachers, both in high school and college, who inspired and encouraged me.

SOL: How is Homer’s Iliad related to your debut novel?
MADELINE: In writing this novel I told myself that I was writing “mythological fiction” rather than “historical fiction”, which meant that I took Homer’s Iliad with all its inconsistencies, anachronisms and gods—as my world. In structuring the book, I imagined the events of Homer’s Iliad as being the final section of the novel. This was really helpful for me in imagining the characters of Achilles and Patroclus—I knew the men that they would one day become, and worked backwards to create the boys that they had been. Once my characters arrived at Troy, I tried to stay as close to the plot of the Iliad as I could. My goal wasn’t to re-write the events of the story, just to show the internal thoughts and conflicts of the characters, as well as the events that happen “off-stage.” Homer does a beautiful job of portraying action, but he doesn’t always give us a character’s motivation, or back-story. That is some of what I was hoping to do. That said, I did make a few minor changes for the purposes of the story. In the Iliad, Patroclus is older than Achilles, but I chose to make them peers, because of the intensity of the bond that is created by two people growing up together.

SOL: What have you done to make the classic touch in your book acceptable to the modern readers?
MADELINE: Mostly, all I had to do was tell the story, and the myths did the rest! Like all great stories, they are timeless in terms of their insights about human nature, and their ability to engage our emotions. But for the modern reader’s sanity, I did try to be very thoughtful about which characters got included, and which did not. Homer’s Iliad has, almost literally, a cast of thousands, with so many wonderful moments and stories within that. No matter how tempting those may have been, I wanted to stay focused on Patroclus, Achilles, and the characters that directly affected them.
Further, although I wanted my novel to be set in Homer’s epic world, I didn’t actually want the telling of the story itself to be epic. Patroclus, for all he is swept up in Achilles’ grand destiny, is himself not an epic person. He doesn’t seek power or fame, but the happiness of a smaller life, well-lived. And that is something that we can all appreciate: the strength and beauty of ordinary existence.

SOL: Tell us how real or unreal is Trojan War, which forms an important part of your work?
MADELINE: Sadly, I think it was unlikely that the Trojan War really happened the way Homer tells us it did. But archaeology shows that there was a real and powerful city of Troy, and that sometime around the supposed Trojan War, the city was burnt and destroyed. Further, there are some fascinating references in Hittite documents to a Trojan prince named “Aleksandu” or Alexander—another name for Prince Paris. So, I think that there is probably some germ of truth in Homer’s story about the war, but that many of the events and people have been exaggerated or invented. Currently, we have no evidence that there was a ‘real’ Achilles or Patroclus—but who knows? Maybe some proof will turn up!

SOL: What has been the response of your book so far in the Indian and international market?
MADELINE: Since the book just came out in September, I think that much of this is still unfolding. But I have received some absolutely lovely feedback from readers in India, which I am very grateful for. I have also heard from readers in Australia, South Africa and Germany. I am so appreciative and thrilled that my book is being read in so many places abroad!

SOL: How did your family and friends take it and support you in your literary venture?
MADELINE: I am fortunate to have incredibly supportive friends and family. First and foremost, I am grateful to my mother, who taught me to love reading, and who always encouraged my literary and Classical passions, even though they didn’t seem very practical. My fiancé, who was an English and Writing major has also been a huge support, and read the manuscript many times before it ever left my computer.

SOL: How do you plan carrying forward your passion for writing?
MADELINE: I am taking this year off from my teaching in order to devote myself to writing full-time. I absolutely love spending time in Homer’s world, and have started work on a second novel, based on the Odyssey. After that, I’m not sure what I will write about, but I do know that I want to keep telling stories!

Madeline Miller’s website can be visited at http://www.madelinemiller.com/