Beginner's Pluck

MADELINE MILLER was brought up to love books.

Her mother was a librarian and Kindergarten teacher. “I studied Latin and Greek in High School. It was after I graduated that I started to think seriously about writing.

“In college I directed Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida. It was amazing talking to Achilles about how he should walk. That sparked something. I thought, if I can direct these characters, maybe I could write about them too. I sat down in a trance and started writing. The book took 10 years, but Achilles character remained the same.”