On April 9, 2024, member Anna Q. presented American novelist Madeline Miller, one of many who are retelling classical literature from modern perspectives. If after High School you gladly had shaken off classical literature, then Miller and other contemporary authors may turn you into a fan after all.
The author herself seems extraordinary. At age five, her mother read her The Iliad, and she loved it. She toured classical exhibits in New York City and Philadelphia where she grew up. She studied the Classics in University, along with Shakespeare, and has taught Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to High School students.
Miller’s first novel, The Song of Achilles, was inspired by Shakespeare’s play Troilus and Cressida, based on The Iliad. The story is retold by Patroclus, who shared a deep friendship and love with epic hero Achilles, during the Trojan War. The epic war story becomes a love story.
In Circe, Miller has re-imagined a minor character from Homer’s Odyssey (nonetheless, a goddess, enchantress and witch!) to tell the tale from a woman’s perspective.
Both of Miller’s novels are bestsellers and multiple award winners. Anna also recommends Miller’s two short stories, “Galatea” and “Heracles Bow.” Miller is working on a new novel, Persephone.
Anna recommends these contemporary authors for bringing Classical literature to life, while staying true to the original tales.
- Natalie Haynes – A Thousand Ships; Stone Blind; Pandora’s Jar; The Children of Jocasta
- Pat Barker – The Silence of the Girls; The Women of Troy
- Stephen Fry – Greek myth trilogy: Mythos; Heroes; Troy ; Comings soon: The Odyssey
- Charlotte Higgins – Greek myths: a new retelling; It’s all Greek to me
- Jennifer Saint – Ariadne; Elektra; Atalanta
- Mary Renault – Alexander the Great trilogy: Fire from Heaven; The Persian Boy; Funeral
- Games
- Anne Carson- Autobiography of Red; Red Doc; Eros the Bittersweet; Grief Lessons
Janet H.
Next week, member Lou Anne R. will present on the works of author Eleanor Catton. Click on Contact Us to attend as a guest or learn more about the club.