1: 'That is what a son should be.'
The young Prince Patroclus is exiled to Phthia, where he meets the golden-haired Prince Achilles, as Tom Hollander begins Madeline Miller's prize-winning retelling of the Iliad.
Tom Hollander begins Madeline Miller's masterful retelling of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔr's Iliad - an electrifying tale of love, ambition and immortal fame.
In Ancient Greece, in the age of heroes, Prince Patroclus is a disappointment to his father. And after an act of shocking violence, he is exiled to the court of King Peleus, where he meets his son, the beautiful, golden-haired Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and, as they grow into young men, their bond blossoms into something deeper - to the fury of the gods.
But when news comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Before long the cruel Fates will test them both - and demand a terrible sacrifice.
Today: after a tragic accident, the young prince Patroclus is exiled to Phthia, where he meets the heroic young Prince Achilles...
Writer: Madeline Miller is the bestselling author of two novels: The Song of Achilles, which won the Orange Women’s Prize for Fiction 2012, and Circe, which was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019
Reader: Tom Hollander is an acclaimed and award-winning British stage and screen actor, known most recently for White Lotus, Gosford Park and In the Loop.
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Justine Willett
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Broadcast
- Mon 29 Jan 2024 22:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4