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"The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller
Published on 3rd September 2013
The Iliad is one of the most significant works of Western literature ever written. Despite the post-Romantic notion that all art is a deeply subjective outpouring of the soul, bolstered by the unimpeded impressionism of modernism and post-modernism, the extent to which the King James Bible, Shakespeare and Homer still dominate Western conceptions of literature is startling. So messing with the Iliad is a dangerous business. However, in her Orange Prize-winning debut novel, Madeline Miller succeeds in giving readers a new perspective on the immutable story, adding to rather than subtracting from the power of the original text. Written in the first person, with Patroclus as narrator (an ambitious choice, seeing as he’s killed off just over half way through Homer’s story), the novel focuses on the nature of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, his therapon (companion, fellow warrior, and close friend). The academic debate still rages over the nature of their bond, but Miller places a sexually charged relationship at the forefront of her novel - from the first meeting of their eyes over a sensuously described meal of just-ripe figs, it is clear that the pair share more than friendship. Their relationship is tenderly painted; their shared discovery of sex is delicate, but undercut by a breath-taking rawness. These hints of viscerality are where the text really begins to coruscate, and Miller’s 10 years studying the original Greek pay off - the first word of the Iliad is “wrath”, and in the novel the ferocious physicality of Achilles’ grief at the death of Patroclus is powerfully conveyed. But Miller’s real masterstroke is reconciling this deeply human story with the epic nature of the world of gods, kings, and battles that we are familiar with. She accomplishes this with deft, unassuming prose, somehow making the supernatural established and customary, without reducing the chimerical, even hallucinatory presence of the gods and demi-gods that feature. The only downside of this is that the style can become a touch condescending at times - more Horowitz than Homer, especially in the first half. However, this does not detract from an intensely moving and heart-achingly lyrical ending, that cements this novel not only as a sexy, exciting and compelling retelling of one of the most familiar narratives in Western literature, but a great love-story in its own right.
