The Song of Achilles Read online

  PYRRHUS. Formally named Neoptolemus but called “Pyrrhus” for his fiery hair, he was the son of Achilles and the princess Deidameia. He joined the war after his father’s death, participating in the trick of the Trojan horse and brutally murdering the old king of Troy, Priam. In Book 2 of the Aeneid, Vergil tells the story of Pyrrhus’ role in the sack of Troy.

  Acknowledgments

  Writing this novel was a ten-year-long journey, and I was fortunate enough to meet many more kindly deities than angry Cyclopes along the way. It would be impossible to thank everyone who offered me encouragement over the years—it would take a second book—but there are some divinities that need worshipping.

  In particular, I want to thank my early readers, who gave me such loving and thoughtful responses: Carolyn Bell, Sarah Furlow, and Michael Bourret. I also want to thank my amazing godmother, Barbara Thornbrough, who has cheered me on the whole way, as well as the Drake family for their kind encouragement and for being expert consultants on wide-ranging matters. My heartfelt appreciation goes also to my teachers, especially Diane Dubois, Susan Melvoin, Kristin Jaffe, Judith Williams, and Jim Miller; and to my passionate and fabulous students, Shakespeareans and Latin scholars alike, for teaching me much more than I ever taught them.

  I have been fortunate enough to have not one but three amazing mentors in Classics, teaching, and life: David Rich, Joseph Pucci, and Michael C. J. Putnam. I am grateful beyond measure to their kindness and erudition. Thanks also to the entire Brown University Classics Department. It goes without saying that all errors and distortions in this work are my own entirely, and not theirs.

  Special thanks to Walter Kasinskas, and to the beautiful and talented Nora Pines, who has always believed I would be a writer despite reading a number of my early short stories.

  Thanks and thanks and ever thanks to the inimitable, irrepressible, and outstanding Jonah Ramu Cohen, a fierce fiery warrior who fought for this book every step of the way. I am so grateful for your friendship.

  A Mount Olympus of gratitude to the astounding Julie Barer, best of all Agents, who swept me off my feet and into a miracle, along with all the rest of her amazing team.

  And of course thanks to my dynamic, fabulous editor, Lee Boudreaux, and the whole group at Ecco, including Abigail Holstein, Michael McKenzie, Heather Drucker, Rachel Bressler, and everyone who took such excellent care of me and this work. I would also like to thank the fantastic people at Bloomsbury UK— the outstanding Alexandra Pringle, Katie Bond, David Mann, and everyone else on their team for all their incredible work on my book’s behalf.

  Finally, I want to thank my family, including my brother Bud, who has put up with my stories of Achilles for his entire life, and my wonderful stepfather, Gordon. Most of all, I thank my amazing mother, who has loved and supported me in all my endeavors, and who inspired me to love reading as much as she does. I am so blessed to be your daughter.

  Last, but never least, thanks to Nathaniel, my Athena-in-shining-armor, whose love, editing, and patience brought me home.

  About the Author

  MADELINE MILLER grew up in Philadelphia, has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Latin and Ancient Greek from Brown University, and has been teaching both languages for the past nine years. She has also studied at the Yale School of Drama, specializing in adapting classical tales for a modern audience. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Song of Achilles is her first novel.

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  Credits

  Cover design by Allison Saltzman

  Cover photograph: Bronze helmet, Greek, Corinthian, early 7th century B.C., courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery/Art Resource, NY

  Copyright

  THE SONG OF ACHILLES. Copyright © 2012 by Madeline Miller. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  FIRST EDITION

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

  ISBN 978-0-06-206061-7 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-0-06-212612-2 (international edition)

  Epub Edition © MARCH 2012 ISBN: 9780062060631

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