Original, clever and in a class of its own … It does what the best novels do – it transports you to another world’ Independent A deeply affecting version of the Achilles story: a fully three-dimensional man – a son, a father, husband and lover – now exists where a superhero previously stood’ Observer

The thing is, I don't think my husband expected me to be able to talk. I don't blame him for this exactly, since he had known me only as a statue, pure and beautiful and yielding to his art." From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of The Song of Achilles and Circe, an enchanting short story that boldly reimagines the myth of Galatea and Pygmalion. His insistence for her to be compliant and grateful is incongruous with the reality of her being an independent woman with an interior life and not merely a statue who’s entire identity is bent towards serving his desire: I’m always impressed by the writing of Madeline Miller. Her first book The Song of Achilles was a powerful and imaginative retelling of The Iliad. Her second novel Circe, however, was at a completely different level: it was simply fantastic in every way. Miller weaves an intoxicating tale of gods and heroes, magic and monsters, survival and transformation’ iWhile we watch Galatea being denied any agency in her life and accepting a lot of abuse and made to feel it is for her own good (when Pygmalion hurts her and notices the color of the bruises left behind, he tells her ‘ You make the rarest canvas, love’), we also see her fight for the good of her daughter. The ending, which is rather darkly beautiful, is geared to the idea of protection, though retribution also inevitably factors in. In a way it is a call to break the cycles of abuse and ensure the coming generations are raised to know they do not need to accept the toxic behaviors that try to masquerade as love. A remarkably fresh take on one of the most familiar narratives in western literature … Extremely moving’ The Times Ma Galatea ama Pigmalione? La vita con lui è la vita che sognava per sé stessa? È moglie libera e amata o donna trofeo della quale ci si stanca in fretta ed esiste solo in funzione della gelosia altrui? This is a compelling and highly symbolic feminist retelling of an Ancient Greek story that I recommend most highly. I never liked the story of Galatea. No, that isn't true, actually. I liked the story but not the guy in it.

The term 'incel' wasn't in wide circulation when I wrote this, but Pygmalion is certainly a prototype. For millennia there have been men who react with horror and disgust to women's independence, men who desire women yet hate them, and who take refuge in fantasies of purity and control. What would it be like to live with such a man as your husband? There are too many today who could answer that. Bur that is the mark of a good source myth; it is water so wide it can reach across centuries."

I will forever and ever and ever love Madeline Miller. It's like she's incapable of writing anything less than perfect. She is absolutely amazing, even though she always rips my heart right out of my chest and crushes it between her fingers using only her words. It's the toxic kind of love between us but I could never walk away. It's why I based my bachelor's dissertation on her books. I mean, how could I not? They are masterpieces.

The thing is, I don’t think my husband expected me to be able to talk. I don’t blame him for this exactly, since he had known me only as a statue, pure and beautiful and yielding to his art.” This short tale covers issues such as patriarchy, misogyny, the creation and appreciation of art, the value put upon beauty, as well as feminine desire and autonomy. In her own note on the tale at the end of the book, Miller herself perfectly sums it up: Madeline Miller really has a great way of bringing to life this ancient setting and weaving the myths we know and have read with her own thoughts, filling in the blanks, sometimes changing a few details in the process. Questi sono gli interrogativi dai quali parte Madeleine Miller per costruire il suo racconto denso e disturbante.Galatea is this brave, beautiful, intelligent person, surviving Pygmalion's wrath and oppression for so long, and trying to shield her daughter from him. She figured out how to manipulate him, to get him to do what she wanted without him realising, something she applied on others as well. Even though her first attempt at escaping his clutches with her daughter failed, the second time was final. She may have sacrificed herself to punish and end him, but she saved her daughter and the newest statue come alive, that of a disturbingly young girl, also created by Pygmalion for his own pleasure. There was nothing more satisfying than reading about her holding him tightly in place with her marble strength as they both sunk underwater and she watched him drown slowly, imagined him being feasted on by the aquatic life as she was left intact (because she's marble). But, also reading about her slowly feeling the cold creeping up her limbs and losing her senses. I cried, guys. I cried hard. Enough magic, enchantment, voyages and wonders to satisfy the most jaded sword-and-sorcery palate’ Guardian I felt him looking at me, admiring his work. He had not carved me like this, but he was imagining doing it. A beautiful statue, named The Supplicant. He could have sold me and lived like a king in Araby." You see, what kind of man creates the perfect woman out of marble, obsessed with purity and perfection because real-life women have shunted or betrayed him (according to his statement, we never meet them)?!

There is also an interesting, albeit brief, element that while the choice over reproductive rights and agency is a hotly debated political topic and women are often shamed and ostracized for making difficult choices, there is no social stigma against men who do not want to have children. In short, Galatea was a story that was underwritten and underwhelming. There was no depth to the characters, little substance to the storyline and the underlying themes of objectifying women, domestic abuse and obsession with beauty and perfection, although powerful didn’t really get going. People began to talk about the sculptor’s wife, and how strange she was, and how such beauty comes only from the gods.’In Ancient Greece, a skilled marble sculptor has been blessed by a goddess who has given his masterpiece - the most beautiful woman the town has ever seen - the gift of life. Now his wife, he expects Galatea to please him, to be obedience and humility personified. But she has desires of her own, and yearns for independence. Galatea è un racconto di dolore, (in)credibile dolore. Una settantina di pagine intrise di sofferenza e frustrazione per una condizione che, purtroppo, interessa ancora moltissime donne.