Madeline Miller
Thank you so much! And yes, I didn't go with the heel legend because I was using the Iliad as my primary source of inspiration, and it isn't mentioned there at all. In Homer, Achilles is simply an extraordinary warrior, not invulnerable. Our first surviving reference to the heel story is actually quite late. But it seemed like exactly the sort of legend that would grow up around a person like Achilles--someone so gifted that we can only describe them in magical terms. Especially when he's beating you in battle every day! I can just see the Trojans telling each other that of course they can't beat him, haven't you heard? He's invulnerable...
On a completely different note, I once had an orthopedic surgeon tell me that wounds to the heel are quite dangerous, particularly in the time before modern medicine. They are prone to bad infections (being close to the dirty ground), and it would have been quite easy for a warrior to die of one.
On a completely different note, I once had an orthopedic surgeon tell me that wounds to the heel are quite dangerous, particularly in the time before modern medicine. They are prone to bad infections (being close to the dirty ground), and it would have been quite easy for a warrior to die of one.
More Answered Questions
minh
asked
Madeline Miller:
Dear Madeline, I do not kid when I say that you are my favourite author. You've just beaten John Boyne and Murakami, because in all honesty, The Song of Achilles and Circe were more experiences than reads. I tell my friends to read TSOA and they come back to me a week later crying. Anywho, my question for you is are you going to delve more into the Roman aspects of the Olympians in any upcoming works? Merci beaucoup!
Carly Lyn
asked
Madeline Miller:
Song of Achilles is my all-time favorite book and now Circe is as well. What I love about them both is the complexity of the characters' relationships. Both books are un-put-downable but also super character-driven. What's your approach to creating that page-turning ability in books that are mostly about feelings? What's your revision process like? Do you do a lot of cutting? Restructuring? Filling out?
A Goodreads user
asked
Madeline Miller:
Is there a genre that you haven't yet written that you'd like to write?
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May 30, 2018 03:29PM · flag
May 31, 2018 12:03AM · flag