вторник, 9 марта 2010 г.
Stephen King (1947-)
Read about the writer in Russian at http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Кинг,_Стивен_Эдвин
American novelist and short-story writer, whose enormously popular books revived the interest in horror fiction from the 1970s. King's place in the modern horror fiction can be compared to that of J.R.R. Tolkien's who created the modern genre of fantasy. Like Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens or Balzac in his La Comédie humaine, King has expressed the fundamental concerns of his era, and used the horror genre as his own branch of artistic expression. King has underlined, that even in the world of cynicism, despair, and cruelties, it remains possible for individuals to find love and discover unexpected resources in themselves. His characters often conquer their own problems and malevolent powers that would suppress or destroy them.
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine. His father, a merchant seaman, deserted the family in 1950. The young Stephen and his brother David were raised in Durham, Maine, by their mother who worked in odd jobs to support her children. At the age of six, he had his eardrum punctured several times - a painful experience which he never forgot. King attended a grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High school, where he started to write short stories and played in an amateur rock band. In 1960 he submitted his first story for publication - it was rejected. He edited the school newspaper, The Drum, and also wrote for the local newspaper, Lisbon Weekly Enterprise. His first story, entitled 'In a Half-World of Terror', King published in a horror fanzine. In 1970 King graduated from the University of Maine. Next year he married Tabitha Spruce, who has also gained fame as a writer. "My wife is the person in my life who's most likely to say I'm working too hard, it's time to slow down, stay away from that damn PowerBook for a little while, Steve, give it a rest." (from On Writing, 2000) Most of his career King has lived in Bangor, Maine. Many of his books are set in the imaginary town of Castle Rock, Maine, which is totally destroyed by greed in Needful Things (1993).
From 1971 to 1974 King was an instructor at the Hampden Academy, earning $6,400 a year. His first novel, Carrie (1974), was a tale of a girl with telekinetic powers. King had thrown the first pages of the story in a garbage pail, but his wife rescued them and urged him to finish the work. Carrie had first only a moderate success and sold 13 000 copies in hardcover. However, Signet paid $400,000 for its paperback rights. Carrie's film version was launched in 1976 and after the breakthrough novel Salem's Lot (1976), King established quickly his reputation as a major horror writer. In the late summer of 1974 King moved with his family to Colorado for an extended holiday. He visited the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, and set there his next novel, The Shining. Stanley Kubrick's film version of the book, from 1977, did not satisfy the author, and he King himself turned his novel into a television miniseries in 1997.
In the late 1970s King published his first paperbacks under the name of Richard Bachman. The Talisman (1984) and its sequel, The Black House (2001), were written with Peter Staub. King has also published non-fiction. In his collection of essays, Danse Macabre (1981), King described the writing process as a kind of "dance" in which the author searches out the private fears of each reader. In the textbook of macabre he goes through the horror genre, from film monsters to books, focusing mostly on the post-war era. "It's not a dance of death at all, not really. There is a third lever here, as well. It is, at bottom, a dance of dreams. It's a way of awakening the child inside, who never dies but only sleeps ever more deeply. If the horror story is rehearsal for death, then its strict moralities make it also a reaffirmation of life and good will and simple imagination - just one more pipeline to the infinite." (from Dance Macabre)
After writing The Pet Sematary King considered he don't need to publish his "thebmost wretched, awful thing" he made, Bag of Bones (1998). The story dealt with the grief process in an uncompromising way. In Bag of Bones King returned to the theme of loss of a family member, and added into it the classical haunted house idea and familiar elements from his previous works: a small town where people know more than they tell, the collective guilty, and a hero who can't avoid confrontation with the evil powers. Old crimes, sins and secrets, hidden deep, are gradually revealed in an analysis of the conscious and unconscious like on a Freud's sofa. Playing with fire, King plunges into the mind of Mike Noonan, an author who suffers from the writer's block. Noonan's wife has died unexpectedly and he retreats to Sara Laughs, their happy home during summers. There he meets a young mother, Mattie, and her daughter, whom he helps in an custody struggle. - Mattie is one of the liveliest characters in King's works. Her sudden death, a logical twist of the plot, comes like electric shock. In the last pages of the novel Noonan/King returns to it and states correctly that 'to think I might have written such a hellishly convenient death in a book, ever, sickens me.' Bag of Bones continues the series where King explorers the writing process and the work of an author. The Shining, Misery, The Dark Half and now Bag of Bones are among his most revealing and personal works. - King is not among those writers who claim that they don't have time to read. Bag of Bones offers a delightful analysis of Herman Melville's story Bartleby, and comments about books and authors. Among them is Thomas Hardy, who stopped writing novels at the peak of his career and changed into poetry. Hardy supposedly said, that the most brilliantly drawn character in a novel is but a bag of bones.
A number of King's stories have been adapted into screen, among others Carrie (1976), The Shining (1980), Misery (1990), The Shawshank Redemption (1995), and The Green Mile (1999). His novels are richly textured with multitudinous references to films, television, rock music, literature, popular culture, and in his own books. Several of early King's novels explored the agonies of childhood, parental neglect and abuse (Carrie; Firestarter, 1980). In the 1980s his perspective shifted into the various pains of adulthood, the loneliness of older people (It, 1986; Insomnia, 1994). He has also provided fully-realized women characters in such novels as Gerald's Game (1992), Dolores Clairborne (1993), and Rose Madder (1995).
'"Michela reads all your books," the fat woman said. "Where in the world do you get all those crazy ideas?"
"I don't know," Kinnell said, smiling more widely than ever. "They just come to me. Isn't that amazing?"'
(from 'The Road Virus Heads North', 1999)
King's Dark Tower series, which started in 1982 with The Gunslinger, has combined Tolkien's sense of wonder with a horror and Sergio-Leone influenced Western. Partly the novel is based on Robert Browning's narrative poem, 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came'. The world of Roland has many intertextual relationships with King's other books and maps the boundaries of his imagination or universe. Occasionally characters cross over from one genre to another, from fantasy to realism. Roland and his friends, other gunslingers, are helped by the Old Fella, Father Callahan from Salem's Lot.
King confesses in On Writing that he had problems with alcohol as early as in 1975, when he wrote The Shining, and he also developed in the 1980s a drung addiction. In June 1999 King was struck by a van and seriously injured. Soon after the accident, in July, King began publishing a serial novel, entitled The Plant, at his website, stephenking.com. In the story a supernatural vine starts to grow in a paperback publishing house. It brings success and riches and all it wants in return is a little drop of blood, a little flesh. King also announced that he will not continue with the story if payments for downloading the work fall off. "What made The Plant such a hilarious Internet natural (at least to my admittedly twisted mind) was that publishers and media people seem to see exactly this sort of monster whenever they contemplate the Net in general and e-lit in particular: a troublesome strangler fig that just might have a bit o' the old profit in it. If, that is, it's handled with gloves." (King in Time, January 8, 2001)
While convalescing from the accident, King returned to his early career as a writer in On Writing (2000), but most of all, the book gives down-to-earth advises for aspiring writers. "Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of life, friendship, relationships, sex and work. Especially work. People love to read about work. God knows why, but they do." In February 2002 King revealed to the Los Angeles Times that he has decided to stop publishing at year's end after finishing the last three novels in his "Dark Tower" series, and some other works. In 2003 King received the National Book Award. Its previous recipients include John Updike, Arthur Miller, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. From Lisey's Story (2006) onwards, King's stories seems to have taken a new turn, in which the horror is not only a genre manifestation but the feelings of angst and fear are a definition of the whole human existence.
From the beginning of his career, King has examined the demons that are hidden behind the work of an author. In Misery a monstrous muse forces the writer into a slavery in front of typewriter. The writer is addicted to his work, but at the same time he is haunted by the demands of his fans. Although King is respected as a major force in popular fiction, his books blend the line between high art and pulp culture. In The Shining the writer, Jack Torrance, a former alcoholic, attacks his own family, and in The Dark Half (1898) he must fight against the demon of his own imagination. This self-conscious way to approach the art of fiction is also seen in King's controlled use of images that are meant to scare the reader. In Hearts in Atlantis (1999) typical horror elements are reduced as a metaphor of lost innocence. In the story King pointedly refers to William Golding's modern classic, Lord of the Flies.
For further reading: Stephen King: The Fist Decade by Jospeh Reino (1988); The Stephen King Companion, ed. George W. Beahm (1989); Stephen King: Man and Artits by Carroll F. Terrell (1990); The Shape Under the Sheet: The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia (1991); Stephen King: The Second Decade by Tony Magistrale (1992); The Films of Stephen King by Ann Lloyd (1993); Stephen King's America by Jonathan P. Davis (1994); The Work of Stephen King: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide by Michael R. Collings (1996); Stephen King: A Critical Companion by Sharon A. Russell (1996); Speaking of Murder, ed. by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg (1998)
Other famous modern horror writers: Ramsey Campbell, Clive Barker, John Farris, Stephen Gallagher, James Herbert, Peter James, Dean R. Koontz, Richard Laymon, Brian Lumley, Graham Masterton, Robert McCammon, Anne Rice, John Saul, Peter Straub, Whitley Strieber. - What is horror: "The main criterion is that it should be both frightening and repulsive, with elements of horror, fantasy and the supernatural", from Now Read On... by Mandy Hicken and Ray Prytherch (1994). See also: Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror (1997); The Penquin Encyclopædie of Horror and the Supernatural (1986) - Suomennoksia: Kingiltä on käännetty säännönmukaisesti uudet romaanit, samoin kuin novelleja kuten Skeleton Crew -kokoelman tarinoita ja pienoisromaaneja teoksissa Ennen aamunkoittoa, Jälkeen keskiyön. Osia Differen Seasons - teoksen teksteistä on ilmestynyt pokkareissa Rita Haywort - avain pakoon sekä Kauhun vuodenajat 1-2. - Vuonna 1996 ilmestyi nuorten kirjoittajien novellikokoelma Vanhoja luita ja muita epätodellisia tarinoita (toim. Petri Liukkonen ja Tanja Keskisimonen), joka on omistettu Stephen Kingille. Kirjailijan tuotantoa esittelevistä teoksista mainittakoon Paljaat luut (1991). - Several film adaptations from short stories and novellas: Cat's Eye, 1984 (from 'Quitters, Inc,' 'The Ledge,' and 'The General'; Maximum Overdrive, 1986 (from 'The Mangler,' and 'The Lawnmower Man'); Stand by Me, 1986 (from the novella 'The Boby'); The Lawnmover Man, 1993; Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, 1990 ('The Cat from Hell'); Stephen King's Graveyard Shift, 1990; Stephen King's "Sometimes They Come Back", 1991 (television movie); Stephen King's Golden Years, 1991 (television miniseries); Creepshow 2, 1987
Selected works:
CARRIE, 1974 - Carrie (suom. Tuula Saarikoski) - film 1976, dir. by Brian De Palma, starring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie
SALEM'S LOT, 1975 - Painajainen (suom. Heikki Karjalainen) - See also Nathaniel Hawthorne, who grew up in Salem and in Raymond, Maine, and whose tale Young Goodman Brown (1835) is among the greatest witchcraft stories - tv miniseries in 1979
THE SHINING, 1975 - Hohto (suom. Pentti Isomursu) - film 1980, dir. by Stanley Kubrick starring Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall. - "While the novel depicts Jack and Wendy as victims of dysfunctional family situation, Kubrick satirically views them as part of a culture of grotesque comic-strip banality. Far from achieving his dream of becoming the Great American Writer of his era (rather than the playwright of the original novel), Jack becomes a dehumanized "Big Bad Wolf" or Roadrunner (with axe rather that roque mallet), pursuing Danny as Wile E. Coyote and attempting to break down the family bathroom door while voicing banalities from American television - "Here's Johnny"!" (from Novels into Film by John C. Tibbetts and James M. Welsh, 1997) - Stephen King's The Shining, television film 1997
RAGE, 1977 (as Richard Bachman) - Raivo (suom. Leevi Lehto)
THE STAND, 1978 - Tukikohta (suom. Kari Nenonen) - Stephen King's The Stand, television mini series 1994
NIGHT SHIFT, 1978 - Yön äänet (suom. Reijo Kalvas)
ANOTHER QUARTER MILE, 1979
THE LONG WALK, 1979 (as Richard Bachman) - Pitkä marssi (suom. Leevi Lehto)
THE DEAD ZONE, 1979 - Kosketus (Heikki Karjalainen) - film 1983, dir. by David Cronenberg , starring Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams
THE FIRESTARTER, 1980 - Tulisilmä (suom. Aarne T. K. Lahtinen) - film 1984, dir, by Mark L. Lester, starring David Keith Drew Barrymore
THE MONKEY, 1980
CUJO, 1981 - Cujo (suom. Virpi Kosonen) - film 1983, dir. by Lewis Teague, starring Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro
ROADWORK, 1981 (as Richard Bachman) - Vimma / Juokse tai kuole (suom. Leevi Lehto)
DANCE MACABRE, 1981
THE PLANT, 1982-1985 (part I, 1982; part II, 1983; part III, 1985)
STEPHEN KING'S CREEPSHOW, 1982 (comic-strip adaptations)
THE DARK TOWER I: THE GUNSLINGER, 1982 - Musta torni (suom. Kari Salminen)
CREEPSHOW, 1982 - films from the short stories 'Father's Day,' 'Weeds,' 'The Crate, ''They're Creeping Up on You'
DIFFERENT SEASONS, 1982 - Kauhun vuodenajat 1, 2 (suom. Tapio Tamminen) ; Vuodenajat ; Rita Hayworth: avain pakoon - film The Shawshank Redemption (1994), dir. by Frank Darabont, starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton; film Apt Pupil (1999), based on the novella with the same title, dir. by Bryan Singer, starring Ian MvKellen, Brad Renfro - (Kauhun vuodenajat -suomennoksen ensimmäisestä osasta); Mallioppilas, sisältää myös tarinan Rita Hayworth - avain pakoon
THE RUNNING MAN, 1982 (as Richard Bachman) - Juokse tai kuole - film 1987, dir. by Paul Michael Glaser
, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
RITA HAYWORTH AND SHAWSANK REDEMPTION: A STORY FROM 'DIFFERENT SEASONS', 1983
CHRISTINE, 1983 - Christine, tappajauto (suom. Pentti Isomursu) - film 1983, dir. by John Carpenter, starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell
BLACK MAGIC AND MUSIC: A NOVELISTS PERSPECTIVE ON BANGOR, 1983
PET SEMATARY, 1983 - Uinu, uinu lemmikkini (suom. Pirkko Talvio-Jaatinen) - film 1989, dir. by Mary Lambert, starring Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne - sequel Pet Sematary II (1992), dir. by Mary Lambert
CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF, 1983 - Ihmissuden vuosi (suom. Annika Erдpuro) - film Silver Bullet (1985), dir. by Daniel Attias, starring Corey Haim, Gary Busey, Megan Follows
THE THINNER, 1984 (as Richard Bachman) - Kirous - film Stephen King's Thinner (1996), dir. by Tom Holland, starring Robert Burke, Joe Mantegna, Lucinda Jenney
SILVER BULLET, 1985 (ombibus)
STEPHEN KING'S YEAR OF FEAR 1986 CALENDAR, 1985
SCELETON CREW, 1985 - Jälkeen keskiyön ; Ennen aamunkoitoa (suom. Tapio Tamminen) - film The Mist, 2007, dir. by Frank Darabont, starring Marcia Gay Harden, Thomas Jane, Laurie Holden
THE EYES OF THE DRAGON, 1985 - Lohikäärmeen silmät (suom. Tapio Tamminen)
THE BACHMAN BOOKS: FOUR EARLY NOVELS, 1986
IT, 1986 - Se (suom. Ilkka ja Pдivi Rekiaro) - television miniseries, 1990
MISERY, 1987 - Piina (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro) - FONT SIZE="2"> film 1990, dir. by Rob Reiner, starring James Caan, Cathry Bates
THE DARK TOWER II: THE DRAWING OF THE THREE, 1987 - Musta torni 2: Kolme korttia pakasta (suom. Kari Salminen)
SORRY, RIGHT NUMBER, 1987 (television play)
THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, 1987 - Kolkuttajat (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro) - television miniseries, 1993
MY PRETTY PONY, 1988
NIGHTMARES IN THE SKY, 1988 (photographs by f.Stop FitzGerald)
DOLAN'S CADILLAC, 1989
THE DARK HALF, 1989 - Pimeä puoli (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro) - film 1991, dir. by George A. Romero, starring Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan
FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT, 1990 - Sydänyö (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
STEPHEN KING'S GOLDEN YEARS, 1991 (television play)
NEEDFUL THINGS, 1991 - Tarpeellista tavaraa (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro) - film 1993
DARK TOWER III: THE WASTE LANDS, 1991 - Musta torni 3: Joutomaa (suom. Kari Salminen)
DOLORES CLAIRBORNE, 1993 - Doloreksen tunnustus (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro) - film 1995, dir. by Taylor Hackford, starring Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh
GERALD'S GAME, 1993 - Julma leikki (suom. Heikki Karjalainen)
INSOMNIA, 1994 - Uneton yö (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND, 1994 (television play)
NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES, 1994 - Yksinäinen sormi: Painajaisia ja unikuvia 1 (suom. Heikki Kaskimies, Heikki Karjalainen) , Painajaisia ja unikuvia 2 (Heikki Karjalainen, Kari Kokko) - television movie The Langoliers 1995
ROSE MADDER, 1995 - Naisen raivo (suom. Heikki Karjalainen)
THE REGULATORS, 1996 (as Richard Bachman) - Teloittajat
DESPERATION, 1996 - Epätoivon kaupunki (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
THE GREEN MILE, 1997 (in six parts:The Two Dead Girls, The Mouse on the Mile, Coffey's Hands, The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, Night Journey, Coffey on the Mile) - Kuoleman käytävä, osat Kaksi pientä tyttöä, Hiiri käytävällä, Coffeyn kädet, Delacroixin kurja loppu, Öinen matka, Kuoleman käytävä (suom. Heikki Kaskimies) - film 1999, dir. by Frank Darabont, starring Tom Hanks
THE DARK TOWER IV: WIZARD AND GLASS, 1997 - Musta torni IV: Velho (suom. Kari Salminen)
BAG OF BONES, 1998 - Kalpea aavistus (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON, 1999 - Eksyneiden jumala (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, 1999 - Pedon sydän (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro) - film 2001, dir. by Scott Hicks, starring Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis, screenplay by William Goldman
F13, 2000 (CD-Rom, includes an unpublished novella, Everything's Eventual)
RIDING THE BULLET, 2000 (published on the Internet, www.simonsays.com)
BLOOD & SMOKE, 2000 (audiocassette & CD format, written & read by Stephen King)
THE PLANT, 2000 (published in the Internet, www.stephenking.com)
ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT, 2000 - Kirjoittamisesta (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
DREAMCATCHER, 2001 - Unensieppaaja (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro) - film 2002, dir. by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee
BLACK HOUSE, 2001 (with Peter Straub) - Pimeyden talo (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
EVERYTHING'S EVENTUAL, 2002 - Maantievirus matkalla pohjoiseen (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
FROM A BUICK EIGHT, 2002 - Buick 8 (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
STEPHEN KING'S ROSE RED, 2002 (television play)
THE DARK TOWER V: WOLVES OF THE CALLA, 2003 - Musta torni V: Callan sudet (suom. Kari Salminen)
THE DARK TOWER VI: SONG OF SUSANNAH, 2004 - Musta torni VI: Susannan laulu (suom. Kari Salminen)
THE DARK TOWER VII: THE DARK TOWER, 2004 - Musta torni VII: Musta torni (suom. Kari Salminen)
THE COLORADO KID, 2005
LISEY'S STORY, 2006 - Liseyn tarina (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
CELL, 2006 - Kuulolla (suom. Ilkka Rekiaro)
BLAZE, 2007 (under the name Richard Bachman)
DUMA KEY, 2008
JUST AFTER SUNSET, 2008
UNDER THE DOME, 2009
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/sking.htm
Джон Уинслоу Ирвинг (John Winslow Irving)
Джон Ирвинг (Джон Уинслоу Ирвинг / John Winslow Irving) — американский писатель, сценарист, актер родился в Экстере, Нью-Хэмпшир во время Второй Мировой Войны (2 марта 1942). В это время его отец служил в армии и находился на Тихом Океане. Когда Джону было всего два года его родители развелись, а в 1948 году его мать повторно вышла замуж, взяв фамилию Ирвинг, которую получил и Джон, превратившийся из Джона Уолласа Бланта младшего в Джона Уинслоу Ирвинга. Писатель вырос так ни разу и не встретившись со своим биологическим отцом.
Ирвинг рос замкнутым ребенком, но врожденную любовь к одиночеству он сам считает важной чертой характера, сделавшей его писателем. В детстве Джон страдал дислексией, и даже простое чтение давалось ему с большим трудом. Несмотря на это он стал запойным читателем и поступил на факультет литературоведения. Будучи учеником Philips Exeter Academy, где историю России преподавал его приемный отец, Ирвинг увлекся спортивной борьбой. Он уверен, что именно благодаря этому спорту научился дисциплине и настойчивости.
После одного года обучения Ирвинг оставил Университет Питтсбурга и переехал в столицу Австрии — Вену. Он учился в Венском Университете и объездил все Европу на мотоцикле. Полученные впечатления позже нашли свое отражение в его произведениях. После возвращения в Соединенные Штаты, Ирвинг поступил в Университет Нью-Гемпшира, который закончил в 1965 году. Он женился, когда еще был студентом, а отцом стал в 23 года. Окончательно утвердившись в решении стать писателем, Ирвинг получил грант на обучение на писательских курсах в Университете штата Айова, где среди его преподавателей был Курт Воннегут.
В 1967 году Ирвинг получил степень доктора философии. В том же году он вернулся в Новую Англию со своей выросшей семьей и получил должность ассистента кафедры английского языка в Windham College в Вермонте. Его первая книга «Свободу медведям» (в другом переводе «Выпусти медведей на волю») была опубликована, когда ему было всего 26 лет. Вдохновившись реальными событиями последних дней Второй Мировой войны, в своем романе он рассказал трагикомическую истории двоих студентов, пытающихся освободить животных из Венского зоосада. Уже в первом произведение можно найти несколько переплетенных сюжетных линий, придающих особый драматизм несчастьям, которые валятся на голову героям его книг. В последующем этот прием станет визитной карточкой Ирвинга. Несмотря на теплые отзывы критиков и даже благожелательное мнение Курта Воннегута, книга не снискала большой популярности среди читателей. Тем не менее, вместе с режиссером Ирвингом Кешнером Ирвинг попытался написать сценарий для экранизации этого романа. Хотя попытка оказалась откровенно неудачной, это был не последний опыт работы автора с Голливудом. В это же время Ирвинг получает академический грант от фонда Рокфеллера.
В своей второй книге «Человек воды» (1972) автор вдоволь поиронизировал над нравами академического сообщества США и еще раз вернулся в Вену. В тот же год Ирвинг становится писателем-резидентом в Университете штата Айова. Его следующая книга — роман «Семейная жизнь весом в 158 фунтов» — вышла спустя два года и была посвящена непростой интимной жизни двух семейных пар в одном из университетских кампусов США. Ее заглавие неслучайно отсылает к сленгу борцов, писатель и в зрелые годы сохраняет верность этому виду спорта. В 1975 году Ирвинг стал ассистентом кафедры английского языка в колледже Маунт-Холиок (Mount Holyoke College), расположенном в штате Массачусетс. В тот же год Ирвинг получил грант от фонда Гуггенхейма.
Разочарованный тем, как издательский дом Random House продвигает его произведения, свой четвертый роман «Мир глазами Гарпа» (1978) Ирвинг отдал в издательство Dutton, руководство которого пообещало писателю всестороннюю поддержку его новой книге. Главный герой книги, протагонист автора, писатель, рассказывающий истории о своей жизни, в которых участвуют яркие, эксцентричные персонажи. Сразу после выхода роман получил восторженные рецензии и стал международным бестселлером. В 1979 «Мир глазами Гарпа» вышел в финал Американской книжной премии (American Book Award), а в следующем году стал обладателем награды Национального Книжного Фонда (National Book Foundation), которая как раз в это время стала вручаться раздельно за книги в мягком и твердом переплете. Позже произведение было экранизировано режиссером Джорджем Рой Хиллом, а в главной роли снялся Робин Уильямс. Фильм был номинирован на несколько премий Оскар. Нашлось в экранизации место и для самого автора, снявшегося в роли распорядителя в одном из рестлинг-матчей Гарпа.
«Мир по Гарпу» сделал известного узкому кругу академического писателя сверхпопулярным автором, и все последующие книги Ирвинга становились бестселлерами. Первой в этом ряду стал роман «Отель «Нью-Гэмпшир»» (1981), продажи которого шли отлично, несмотря на противоречивые отзывы критиков. Книга была быстро экранизирована, режиссером фильма выступил Тони Ричардсон, а среди исполнителей ролей были такие звезды, как Джуди Фостер, Роб Лоу и Бо Бриджес. Впрочем, экранизацию сложно назвать удачной: роман был слишком неподъёмен для того, чтобы перенести его на экран без потери многих сюжетных линий и смысловых пластов.
В 1985 году Ирвинг опубликовал книгу «Правила виноделов». Эпическое повествование разворачивается вокруг сиротского приюта, которым руководит страдающий от наркотической зависимости акушер. Многие отмечают большое количество параллелей между этой книгой и «Оливером Твистом» Чарльза Диккенса. Центральной темой романа была проблема абортов. Благодаря этой книге Ирвинг оказался в самом пекле бушевавшей в США дискуссии сторонников и противников абортов. На позицию самого автора, который является сторонником легализации абортов, повлиял опыт его приемного деда, который был акушером-гинекологом.
После публикации «Мира глазами Гарпа» Ирвинг смог отдать все свои силы сочинительству, лишь изредка устраиваясь преподавателем в различные университеты США (в том числе один раз автор поработал и в своей alma mater). Также, Ирвинг выполняет роль ассистента тренера в команде по борьбе университета, в котором учится его сын.
Следующий роман Ирвинга «Молитва об Оуэне Мини» — также семейный эпик, действие которого разворачивается в Новой Англии. Центральная тема произведения — вера и религиозность (и различие между первой и вторым). Главный герой романа — трогательный и трагичный мальчик с маленьким ростом и грубым голосом — оказывается человеком, который заранее знает о своём предназначении, и вся его жизнь, по сути, — это подготовка к тому главному, что ждёт его в конце. В этой книге меньше, чем обычно, трагикомических ситуаций, в чём-то, пожалуй, она напоминает лучшие романы приятеля и земляка Ирвинга Стивена Кинга. Как это зачастую бывает у Кинга, в жизни главного героя «Молитвы об Оуэне Мини» то и дело случаются мистические, необъяснимые случаи, да и сам он — как понимает в конце читатель, — может быть, очередное воплощение Христа. Во всяком случае, никакими рациональными объяснениями то, что происходит в романе, не «оправдать».
Книга была написана под влиянием «Жестяного барабана» Гюнтера Грасса, «Алой буквы» Натаниеля Готорна, а также произведений Диккенса. В «Молитве об Оуэне Мини» Ирвинг впервые в своём творчестве затронул тему Вьетнамской войны и её последствий для американского общества — особенно обязательного призыва, которого сам автор избежал как женатый отец ребенка и школьный преподаватель. Сейчас «Молитву об Оуэне Мини» часто включают в списки книг, рекомендованных для школьного чтения в Великобритании.
Со своей следующей книгой «Сын цирка» (1995) Ирвинг вернулся в издательство Random House. Вероятно, это его самая мрачная, сложная и трудная книга, которая лежит в стороне от магистральных тем его предыдущих романов. В центре сюжета — воспоминания живущего в Канаде индийского врача: о детстве, проведенном в странствующем по сельской Индии цирке, о волшебном мире таинственных чудаков и магов. Эту работу автора чаще всего сравнивают с книгами Чарльза Диккенса. Несмотря на противоречивые отзывы критиков, «Сын Цирка» стал национальным бестселлером, возможно, в силу того, что автор имел к тому моменту репутацию модного литератора. Следующей книги Ирвинга пришлось ждать 3 года, в 1998 выходит роман «Мужчины не ее жизни» (другое название — «Вдова на год»), названная газетой «Нью-Йорк Таймс» «заметной» книгой. Вскоре после выхода роман был экранизирован режиссером Тодом Вильямсом.
В 1999 г., после долгих лет интенсивной работы, выходит фильм по роману «Правила виноделов». Режиссером выступил Лассе Халлстрем, а в главных ролях снялись Тоби Магуайр, Шарлиз Терон, Делрой Линдо, Майкл Кейн. В фильме вновь нашлось место и для авторского камео. Путь этой книги на киноэкран был весьма тернист. Потом Ирвинг с иронией будет вспоминать, что работа над фильмом стоила «двух продюсеров, четырех режиссеров, тринадцати лет и бессчетное количество переписываний сценария». Старания себя оправдали. «Правила виноделов» принесли автору «Оскар» за лучший сценарий, а также номинировались на премию за лучший фильм.
Ирвинг рос замкнутым ребенком, но врожденную любовь к одиночеству он сам считает важной чертой характера, сделавшей его писателем. В детстве Джон страдал дислексией, и даже простое чтение давалось ему с большим трудом. Несмотря на это он стал запойным читателем и поступил на факультет литературоведения. Будучи учеником Philips Exeter Academy, где историю России преподавал его приемный отец, Ирвинг увлекся спортивной борьбой. Он уверен, что именно благодаря этому спорту научился дисциплине и настойчивости.
После одного года обучения Ирвинг оставил Университет Питтсбурга и переехал в столицу Австрии — Вену. Он учился в Венском Университете и объездил все Европу на мотоцикле. Полученные впечатления позже нашли свое отражение в его произведениях. После возвращения в Соединенные Штаты, Ирвинг поступил в Университет Нью-Гемпшира, который закончил в 1965 году. Он женился, когда еще был студентом, а отцом стал в 23 года. Окончательно утвердившись в решении стать писателем, Ирвинг получил грант на обучение на писательских курсах в Университете штата Айова, где среди его преподавателей был Курт Воннегут.
В 1967 году Ирвинг получил степень доктора философии. В том же году он вернулся в Новую Англию со своей выросшей семьей и получил должность ассистента кафедры английского языка в Windham College в Вермонте. Его первая книга «Свободу медведям» (в другом переводе «Выпусти медведей на волю») была опубликована, когда ему было всего 26 лет. Вдохновившись реальными событиями последних дней Второй Мировой войны, в своем романе он рассказал трагикомическую истории двоих студентов, пытающихся освободить животных из Венского зоосада. Уже в первом произведение можно найти несколько переплетенных сюжетных линий, придающих особый драматизм несчастьям, которые валятся на голову героям его книг. В последующем этот прием станет визитной карточкой Ирвинга. Несмотря на теплые отзывы критиков и даже благожелательное мнение Курта Воннегута, книга не снискала большой популярности среди читателей. Тем не менее, вместе с режиссером Ирвингом Кешнером Ирвинг попытался написать сценарий для экранизации этого романа. Хотя попытка оказалась откровенно неудачной, это был не последний опыт работы автора с Голливудом. В это же время Ирвинг получает академический грант от фонда Рокфеллера.
В своей второй книге «Человек воды» (1972) автор вдоволь поиронизировал над нравами академического сообщества США и еще раз вернулся в Вену. В тот же год Ирвинг становится писателем-резидентом в Университете штата Айова. Его следующая книга — роман «Семейная жизнь весом в 158 фунтов» — вышла спустя два года и была посвящена непростой интимной жизни двух семейных пар в одном из университетских кампусов США. Ее заглавие неслучайно отсылает к сленгу борцов, писатель и в зрелые годы сохраняет верность этому виду спорта. В 1975 году Ирвинг стал ассистентом кафедры английского языка в колледже Маунт-Холиок (Mount Holyoke College), расположенном в штате Массачусетс. В тот же год Ирвинг получил грант от фонда Гуггенхейма.
Разочарованный тем, как издательский дом Random House продвигает его произведения, свой четвертый роман «Мир глазами Гарпа» (1978) Ирвинг отдал в издательство Dutton, руководство которого пообещало писателю всестороннюю поддержку его новой книге. Главный герой книги, протагонист автора, писатель, рассказывающий истории о своей жизни, в которых участвуют яркие, эксцентричные персонажи. Сразу после выхода роман получил восторженные рецензии и стал международным бестселлером. В 1979 «Мир глазами Гарпа» вышел в финал Американской книжной премии (American Book Award), а в следующем году стал обладателем награды Национального Книжного Фонда (National Book Foundation), которая как раз в это время стала вручаться раздельно за книги в мягком и твердом переплете. Позже произведение было экранизировано режиссером Джорджем Рой Хиллом, а в главной роли снялся Робин Уильямс. Фильм был номинирован на несколько премий Оскар. Нашлось в экранизации место и для самого автора, снявшегося в роли распорядителя в одном из рестлинг-матчей Гарпа.
«Мир по Гарпу» сделал известного узкому кругу академического писателя сверхпопулярным автором, и все последующие книги Ирвинга становились бестселлерами. Первой в этом ряду стал роман «Отель «Нью-Гэмпшир»» (1981), продажи которого шли отлично, несмотря на противоречивые отзывы критиков. Книга была быстро экранизирована, режиссером фильма выступил Тони Ричардсон, а среди исполнителей ролей были такие звезды, как Джуди Фостер, Роб Лоу и Бо Бриджес. Впрочем, экранизацию сложно назвать удачной: роман был слишком неподъёмен для того, чтобы перенести его на экран без потери многих сюжетных линий и смысловых пластов.
В 1985 году Ирвинг опубликовал книгу «Правила виноделов». Эпическое повествование разворачивается вокруг сиротского приюта, которым руководит страдающий от наркотической зависимости акушер. Многие отмечают большое количество параллелей между этой книгой и «Оливером Твистом» Чарльза Диккенса. Центральной темой романа была проблема абортов. Благодаря этой книге Ирвинг оказался в самом пекле бушевавшей в США дискуссии сторонников и противников абортов. На позицию самого автора, который является сторонником легализации абортов, повлиял опыт его приемного деда, который был акушером-гинекологом.
После публикации «Мира глазами Гарпа» Ирвинг смог отдать все свои силы сочинительству, лишь изредка устраиваясь преподавателем в различные университеты США (в том числе один раз автор поработал и в своей alma mater). Также, Ирвинг выполняет роль ассистента тренера в команде по борьбе университета, в котором учится его сын.
Следующий роман Ирвинга «Молитва об Оуэне Мини» — также семейный эпик, действие которого разворачивается в Новой Англии. Центральная тема произведения — вера и религиозность (и различие между первой и вторым). Главный герой романа — трогательный и трагичный мальчик с маленьким ростом и грубым голосом — оказывается человеком, который заранее знает о своём предназначении, и вся его жизнь, по сути, — это подготовка к тому главному, что ждёт его в конце. В этой книге меньше, чем обычно, трагикомических ситуаций, в чём-то, пожалуй, она напоминает лучшие романы приятеля и земляка Ирвинга Стивена Кинга. Как это зачастую бывает у Кинга, в жизни главного героя «Молитвы об Оуэне Мини» то и дело случаются мистические, необъяснимые случаи, да и сам он — как понимает в конце читатель, — может быть, очередное воплощение Христа. Во всяком случае, никакими рациональными объяснениями то, что происходит в романе, не «оправдать».
Книга была написана под влиянием «Жестяного барабана» Гюнтера Грасса, «Алой буквы» Натаниеля Готорна, а также произведений Диккенса. В «Молитве об Оуэне Мини» Ирвинг впервые в своём творчестве затронул тему Вьетнамской войны и её последствий для американского общества — особенно обязательного призыва, которого сам автор избежал как женатый отец ребенка и школьный преподаватель. Сейчас «Молитву об Оуэне Мини» часто включают в списки книг, рекомендованных для школьного чтения в Великобритании.
Со своей следующей книгой «Сын цирка» (1995) Ирвинг вернулся в издательство Random House. Вероятно, это его самая мрачная, сложная и трудная книга, которая лежит в стороне от магистральных тем его предыдущих романов. В центре сюжета — воспоминания живущего в Канаде индийского врача: о детстве, проведенном в странствующем по сельской Индии цирке, о волшебном мире таинственных чудаков и магов. Эту работу автора чаще всего сравнивают с книгами Чарльза Диккенса. Несмотря на противоречивые отзывы критиков, «Сын Цирка» стал национальным бестселлером, возможно, в силу того, что автор имел к тому моменту репутацию модного литератора. Следующей книги Ирвинга пришлось ждать 3 года, в 1998 выходит роман «Мужчины не ее жизни» (другое название — «Вдова на год»), названная газетой «Нью-Йорк Таймс» «заметной» книгой. Вскоре после выхода роман был экранизирован режиссером Тодом Вильямсом.
В 1999 г., после долгих лет интенсивной работы, выходит фильм по роману «Правила виноделов». Режиссером выступил Лассе Халлстрем, а в главных ролях снялись Тоби Магуайр, Шарлиз Терон, Делрой Линдо, Майкл Кейн. В фильме вновь нашлось место и для авторского камео. Путь этой книги на киноэкран был весьма тернист. Потом Ирвинг с иронией будет вспоминать, что работа над фильмом стоила «двух продюсеров, четырех режиссеров, тринадцати лет и бессчетное количество переписываний сценария». Старания себя оправдали. «Правила виноделов» принесли автору «Оскар» за лучший сценарий, а также номинировались на премию за лучший фильм.
Далее см. http://www.johnirving.ru/content/view/2/
Экранизации
Мир по Гарпу / The World According to Garp (США, реж. Джордж Рой Хилл, 1982)
Отель Нью-Хэмпшир / The Hotel New Hampshire (США, реж. Тони Ричардсон, 1984)
Правила виноделов / The Cider House Rules (США, реж. Лассе Хальстрём, 1999)
Потайная дверь / The Door in the Floor (США, реж. Тод Вильямс, по роману A Widow for One Year, 2004)
Саймон Бирч / Simon Birch (США, реж. Марк Стивен Джонсон, по роману A Prayer For Owen Meany, 1998)
Мир по Гарпу / The World According to Garp (США, реж. Джордж Рой Хилл, 1982)
Отель Нью-Хэмпшир / The Hotel New Hampshire (США, реж. Тони Ричардсон, 1984)
Правила виноделов / The Cider House Rules (США, реж. Лассе Хальстрём, 1999)
Потайная дверь / The Door in the Floor (США, реж. Тод Вильямс, по роману A Widow for One Year, 2004)
Саймон Бирч / Simon Birch (США, реж. Марк Стивен Джонсон, по роману A Prayer For Owen Meany, 1998)
среда, 3 марта 2010 г.
Tennessee Williams "A Streetcar Named Desire"
T ennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams III in Columbus, Mississippi, in 1911. His friends began calling him Tennessee in college, in honor of his Southern accent and his father’s home state. Williams’s father, C.C. Williams, was a traveling salesman and a heavy drinker. Williams’s mother, Edwina, was a Mississippi clergyman’s daughter prone to hysterical attacks. Until Williams was seven, he, his parents, his older sister, Rose, and his younger brother, Dakin, lived with Edwina’s parents in Mississippi.
In 1918, the Williams family moved to St. Louis, marking the start of the family’s deterioration. C.C.’s drinking increased, the family moved sixteen times in ten years, and the young Williams, always shy and fragile, was ostracized and taunted at school. During these years, he and Rose became extremely close. Edwina and Williams’s maternal grandparents also offered the emotional support he required throughout his childhood. Williams loathed his father but grew to appreciate him somewhat after deciding in therapy as an adult that his father had given him his tough survival instinct.
After being bedridden for two years as a child due to severe illness, Williams grew into a withdrawn, effeminate adolescent whose chief solace was writing. At sixteen, Williams won a prize in a national competition that asked for essays answering the question “Can a good wife be a good sport?” His answer was published in Smart Set magazine. The following year, he published a horror story in a magazine called Weird Tales, and the year after that he entered the University of Missouri to study journalism. While in college, he wrote his first plays, which were influenced by members of the southern literary renaissance such as Robert Penn Warren, William Faulkner, Allen Tate, and Thomas Wolfe. Before Williams could receive his degree, however, his father forced him to withdraw from school. Outraged because Williams had failed a required ROTC program course, C.C. Williams made his son go to work at the same shoe company where he himself worked.
After three years at the shoe factory, Williams had a minor nervous breakdown. He then returned to college, this time at Washington University in St. Louis. While he was studying there, a St. Louis theater group produced two of his plays, The Fugitive Kind and Candles to the Sun. Further personal problems led Williams to drop out of Washington University and enroll in the University of Iowa. While he was in Iowa, Rose, who had begun suffering from mental illness later in life, underwent a prefrontal lobotomy (an intensive brain surgery). The event greatly upset Williams, and it left his sister institutionalized for the rest of her life. Despite this trauma, Williams finally managed to graduate in 1938.
In the years following his graduation, Williams lived a bohemian life, working menial jobs and wandering from city to city. He continued to work on drama, however, receiving a Rockefeller grant and studying playwriting at the New School in New York. His literary influences were evolving to include the playwright Anton Chekhov and Williams’s lifelong hero, the poet Hart Crane. He officially changed his name to Tennessee Williams upon the publication of his short story “The Field of Blue Children” in 1939. During the early years of World War II, Williams worked in Hollywood as a scriptwriter and also prepared material for what would become The Glass Menagerie.
In 1944, The Glass Menagerie opened in New York and won the prestigious New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, catapulting Williams into the upper echelon of American playwrights. A Streetcar Named Desire premiered three years later at the Barrymore Theater in New York City. The play, set in contemporary times, describes the decline and fall of a fading Southern belle named Blanche DuBois. A Streetcar Named Desire cemented Williams’s reputation, garnering another Drama Critics’ Circle Award and also a Pulitzer Prize. Williams went on to win another Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Pulitzer for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955.
Much of the pathos found in Williams’s drama was mined from the playwright’s own life. Alcoholism, depression, thwarted desire, loneliness, and insanity were all part of Williams’s world. His experience as a known homosexual in an era unfriendly to homosexuality also informed his work. Williams’s most memorable characters, many of them female, contain recognizable elements of their author, Edwina, and Rose. His vulgar, irresponsible male characters, such as Stanley Kowalski, were likely modeled on Williams’s own father and other males who tormented Williams during his childhood.
Williams’s early plays also connected with the new American taste for realism that emerged following the Depression and World War II. The characters in A Streetcar Named Desire are trying to rebuild their lives in postwar America: Stanley and Mitch served in the military, while Blanche had affairs with young soldiers based near her home.
Williams set his plays in the South, but the compelling manner in which he rendered his themes made them universal, winning him an international audience and worldwide acclaim. However, most critics agree that the quality of Williams’s work diminished as he grew older. He suffered a long period of depression following the death of his longtime partner, Frank Merlo, in 1963. His popularity during these years also declined due to changed interests in the theater world. During the radical 1960s and 1970s, nostalgia no longer drew crowds, and Williams’s explorations of sexual mores came across as tired and old-fashioned.
Williams died in 1983 when he choked on a medicine-bottle cap in an alcohol-related incident at the Elysée Hotel in New York City. He was one month short of his seventy-second birthday. In his long career he wrote twenty-five full-length plays (five made into movies), five screenplays, over seventy one-act plays, hundreds of short stories, two novels, poetry, and a memoir. The mark he left on the tradition of realism in American drama is indelible.
A Note on the Epigraph
The epigraph to A Streecar Named Desire is taken from a Hart Crane poem titled “The Broken Tower.” Crane was one of Williams’s icons. Williams’s use of this quotation is apt, as Crane himself often employed epigraphs from his own icons, including Melville, Whitman, Dickinson, and Blake. Williams felt a personal affinity with Crane, who, like himself, had a bitter relationship with his parents and suffered from bouts of violent alcoholism. Most important, Williams identified with Crane as a homosexual writer trying to find a means of self-expression in a heterosexual world. Unlike Williams, Crane succumbed to his demons, drowning himself in 1932 at the age of thirty-three.
Williams was influenced by Crane’s imagery and by his unusual attention to metaphor. The epigraph’s description of love as only an “instant” and as a force that precipitates “each desperate choice” brings to mind Williams’s character Blanche DuBois. Crane’s speaker’s line, “I know not whither [love’s voice is] hurled,” also suggests Blanche. With increasing desperation, Blanche “hurls” her continually denied love out into the world, only to have that love revisit her in the form of suffering.
In 1918, the Williams family moved to St. Louis, marking the start of the family’s deterioration. C.C.’s drinking increased, the family moved sixteen times in ten years, and the young Williams, always shy and fragile, was ostracized and taunted at school. During these years, he and Rose became extremely close. Edwina and Williams’s maternal grandparents also offered the emotional support he required throughout his childhood. Williams loathed his father but grew to appreciate him somewhat after deciding in therapy as an adult that his father had given him his tough survival instinct.
After being bedridden for two years as a child due to severe illness, Williams grew into a withdrawn, effeminate adolescent whose chief solace was writing. At sixteen, Williams won a prize in a national competition that asked for essays answering the question “Can a good wife be a good sport?” His answer was published in Smart Set magazine. The following year, he published a horror story in a magazine called Weird Tales, and the year after that he entered the University of Missouri to study journalism. While in college, he wrote his first plays, which were influenced by members of the southern literary renaissance such as Robert Penn Warren, William Faulkner, Allen Tate, and Thomas Wolfe. Before Williams could receive his degree, however, his father forced him to withdraw from school. Outraged because Williams had failed a required ROTC program course, C.C. Williams made his son go to work at the same shoe company where he himself worked.
After three years at the shoe factory, Williams had a minor nervous breakdown. He then returned to college, this time at Washington University in St. Louis. While he was studying there, a St. Louis theater group produced two of his plays, The Fugitive Kind and Candles to the Sun. Further personal problems led Williams to drop out of Washington University and enroll in the University of Iowa. While he was in Iowa, Rose, who had begun suffering from mental illness later in life, underwent a prefrontal lobotomy (an intensive brain surgery). The event greatly upset Williams, and it left his sister institutionalized for the rest of her life. Despite this trauma, Williams finally managed to graduate in 1938.
In the years following his graduation, Williams lived a bohemian life, working menial jobs and wandering from city to city. He continued to work on drama, however, receiving a Rockefeller grant and studying playwriting at the New School in New York. His literary influences were evolving to include the playwright Anton Chekhov and Williams’s lifelong hero, the poet Hart Crane. He officially changed his name to Tennessee Williams upon the publication of his short story “The Field of Blue Children” in 1939. During the early years of World War II, Williams worked in Hollywood as a scriptwriter and also prepared material for what would become The Glass Menagerie.
In 1944, The Glass Menagerie opened in New York and won the prestigious New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, catapulting Williams into the upper echelon of American playwrights. A Streetcar Named Desire premiered three years later at the Barrymore Theater in New York City. The play, set in contemporary times, describes the decline and fall of a fading Southern belle named Blanche DuBois. A Streetcar Named Desire cemented Williams’s reputation, garnering another Drama Critics’ Circle Award and also a Pulitzer Prize. Williams went on to win another Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Pulitzer for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955.
Much of the pathos found in Williams’s drama was mined from the playwright’s own life. Alcoholism, depression, thwarted desire, loneliness, and insanity were all part of Williams’s world. His experience as a known homosexual in an era unfriendly to homosexuality also informed his work. Williams’s most memorable characters, many of them female, contain recognizable elements of their author, Edwina, and Rose. His vulgar, irresponsible male characters, such as Stanley Kowalski, were likely modeled on Williams’s own father and other males who tormented Williams during his childhood.
Williams’s early plays also connected with the new American taste for realism that emerged following the Depression and World War II. The characters in A Streetcar Named Desire are trying to rebuild their lives in postwar America: Stanley and Mitch served in the military, while Blanche had affairs with young soldiers based near her home.
Williams set his plays in the South, but the compelling manner in which he rendered his themes made them universal, winning him an international audience and worldwide acclaim. However, most critics agree that the quality of Williams’s work diminished as he grew older. He suffered a long period of depression following the death of his longtime partner, Frank Merlo, in 1963. His popularity during these years also declined due to changed interests in the theater world. During the radical 1960s and 1970s, nostalgia no longer drew crowds, and Williams’s explorations of sexual mores came across as tired and old-fashioned.
Williams died in 1983 when he choked on a medicine-bottle cap in an alcohol-related incident at the Elysée Hotel in New York City. He was one month short of his seventy-second birthday. In his long career he wrote twenty-five full-length plays (five made into movies), five screenplays, over seventy one-act plays, hundreds of short stories, two novels, poetry, and a memoir. The mark he left on the tradition of realism in American drama is indelible.
A Note on the Epigraph
The epigraph to A Streecar Named Desire is taken from a Hart Crane poem titled “The Broken Tower.” Crane was one of Williams’s icons. Williams’s use of this quotation is apt, as Crane himself often employed epigraphs from his own icons, including Melville, Whitman, Dickinson, and Blake. Williams felt a personal affinity with Crane, who, like himself, had a bitter relationship with his parents and suffered from bouts of violent alcoholism. Most important, Williams identified with Crane as a homosexual writer trying to find a means of self-expression in a heterosexual world. Unlike Williams, Crane succumbed to his demons, drowning himself in 1932 at the age of thirty-three.
Williams was influenced by Crane’s imagery and by his unusual attention to metaphor. The epigraph’s description of love as only an “instant” and as a force that precipitates “each desperate choice” brings to mind Williams’s character Blanche DuBois. Crane’s speaker’s line, “I know not whither [love’s voice is] hurled,” also suggests Blanche. With increasing desperation, Blanche “hurls” her continually denied love out into the world, only to have that love revisit her in the form of suffering.
Plot Overview
B lanche DuBois, a schoolteacher from Laurel, Mississippi, arrives at the New Orleans apartment of her sister, Stella Kowalski. Despite the fact that Blanche seems to have fallen out of close contact with Stella, she intends to stay at Stella’s apartment for an unspecified but likely lengthy period of time, given the large trunk she has with her. Blanche tells Stella that she lost Belle Reve, their ancestral home, following the death of all their remaining relatives. She also mentions that she has been given a leave of absence from her teaching position because of her bad nerves.
Though Blanche does not seem to have enough money to afford a hotel, she is disdainful of the cramped quarters of the Kowalskis’ two-room apartment and of the apartment’s location in a noisy, diverse, working-class neighborhood. Blanche’s social condescension wins her the instant dislike of Stella’s husband, an auto-parts supply man of Polish descent named Stanley Kowalski. It is clear that Stella was happy to leave behind her the social pretensions of her background in exchange for the sexual gratification she gets from her husband; she even is pregnant with his baby. Stanley immediately distrusts Blanche to the extent that he suspects her of having cheated Stella out of her share of the family inheritance. In the process of defending herself to Stanley, Blanche reveals that Belle Reve was lost due to a foreclosed mortgage, a disclosure that signifies the dire nature of Blanche’s financial circumstances. Blanche’s heavy drinking, which she attempts to conceal from her sister and brother-in-law, is another sign that all is not well with Blanche.
The unhappiness that accompanies the animal magnetism of Stella and Stanley’s marriage reveals itself when Stanley hosts a drunken poker game with his male friends at the apartment. Blanche gets under Stanley’s skin, especially when she starts to win the affections of his close friend Mitch. After Mitch has been absent for a while, speaking with Blanche in the bedroom, Stanley erupts, storms into the bedroom, and throws the radio out of the window. When Stella yells at Stanley and defends Blanche, Stanley beats her. The men pull him off, the poker game breaks up, and Blanche and Stella escape to their upstairs neighbor Eunice’s apartment. A short while later, Stanley is remorseful and cries up to Stella to forgive him. To Blanche’s alarm, Stella returns to Stanley and embraces him passionately. Mitch meets Blanche outside of the Kowalski flat and comforts her in her distress.
The next day, Blanche tries to convince Stella to leave Stanley for a better man whose social status equals Stella’s. Blanche suggests that she and Stella contact a millionaire named Shep Huntleigh for help escaping from New Orleans; when Stella laughs at her, Blanche reveals that she is completely broke. Stanley walks in as Blanche is making fun of him and secretly overhears Blanche and Stella’s conversation. Later, he threatens Blanche with hints that he has heard rumors of her disreputable past. She is visibly dismayed.
While Blanche is alone in the apartment one evening, waiting for Mitch to pick her up for a date, a teenage boy comes by to collect money for the newspaper. Blanche doesn’t have any money for him, but she hits on him and gives him a lustful kiss. Soon after the boy departs, Mitch arrives, and they go on their date. When Blanche returns, she is exhausted and clearly has been uneasy for the entire night about the rumors Stanley mentioned earlier. In a surprisingly sincere heart-to-heart discussion with Mitch, Blanche reveals the greatest tragedy of her past. Years ago, her young husband committed suicide after she discovered and chastised him for his homosexuality. Mitch describes his own loss of a former love, and he tells Blanche that they need each other.
When the next scene begins, about one month has passed. It is the afternoon of Blanche’s birthday. Stella is preparing a dinner for Blanche, Mitch, Stanley, and herself, when Stanley comes in to tell her that he has learned news of Blanche’s sordid past. He says that after losing the DuBois mansion, Blanche moved into a fleabag motel from which she was eventually evicted because of her numerous sexual liaisons. Also, she was fired from her job as a schoolteacher because the principal discovered that she was having an affair with a teenage student. Stella is horrified to learn that Stanley has told Mitch these stories about Blanche.
The birthday dinner comes and goes, but Mitch never arrives. Stanley indicates to Blanche that he is aware of her past. For a birthday present, he gives her a one-way bus ticket back to Laurel. Stanley’s cruelty so disturbs Stella that it appears the Kowalski household is about to break up, but the onset of Stella’s labor prevents the imminent fight.
Several hours later, Blanche, drunk, sits alone in the apartment. Mitch, also drunk, arrives and repeats all he’s learned from Stanley. Eventually Blanche confesses that the stories are true, but she also reveals the need for human affection she felt after her husband’s death. Mitch tells Blanche that he can never marry her, saying she isn’t fit to live in the same house as his mother. Having learned that Blanche is not the chaste lady she pretended to be, Mitch tries to have sex with Blanche, but she forces him to leave by yelling “Fire!” to attract the attention of passersby outside.
Later, Stanley returns from the hospital to find Blanche even more drunk. She tells him that she will soon be leaving New Orleans with her former suitor Shep Huntleigh, who is now a millionaire. Stanley knows that Blanche’s story is entirely in her imagination, but he is so happy about his baby that he proposes they each celebrate their good fortune. Blanche spurns Stanley, and things grow contentious. When she tries to step past him, he refuses to move out of her way. Blanche becomes terrified to the point that she smashes a bottle on the table and threatens to smash Stanley in the face. Stanley grabs her arm and says that it’s time for the “date” they’ve had set up since Blanche’s arrival. Blanche resists, but Stanley uses his physical strength to overcome her, and he carries her to bed. The pulsing music indicates that Stanley rapes Blanche.
The next scene takes place weeks later, as Stella and her neighbor Eunice pack Blanche’s bags. Blanche is in the bath, and Stanley plays poker with his buddies in the front room. A doctor will arrive soon to take Blanche to an insane asylum, but Blanche believes she is leaving to join her millionaire. Stella confesses to Eunice that she simply cannot allow herself to believe Blanche’s assertion that Stanley raped her. When Blanche emerges from the bathroom, her deluded talk makes it clear that she has lost her grip on reality.
The doctor arrives with a nurse, and Blanche initially panics and struggles against them when they try to take her away. Stanley and his friends fight to subdue Blanche, while Eunice holds Stella back to keep her from interfering. Mitch begins to cry. Finally, the doctor approaches Blanche in a gentle manner and convinces her to leave with him. She allows him to lead her away and does not look back or say goodbye as she goes. Stella sobs with her child in her arms, and Stanley comforts her with loving words and caresses.
B lanche DuBois, a schoolteacher from Laurel, Mississippi, arrives at the New Orleans apartment of her sister, Stella Kowalski. Despite the fact that Blanche seems to have fallen out of close contact with Stella, she intends to stay at Stella’s apartment for an unspecified but likely lengthy period of time, given the large trunk she has with her. Blanche tells Stella that she lost Belle Reve, their ancestral home, following the death of all their remaining relatives. She also mentions that she has been given a leave of absence from her teaching position because of her bad nerves.
Though Blanche does not seem to have enough money to afford a hotel, she is disdainful of the cramped quarters of the Kowalskis’ two-room apartment and of the apartment’s location in a noisy, diverse, working-class neighborhood. Blanche’s social condescension wins her the instant dislike of Stella’s husband, an auto-parts supply man of Polish descent named Stanley Kowalski. It is clear that Stella was happy to leave behind her the social pretensions of her background in exchange for the sexual gratification she gets from her husband; she even is pregnant with his baby. Stanley immediately distrusts Blanche to the extent that he suspects her of having cheated Stella out of her share of the family inheritance. In the process of defending herself to Stanley, Blanche reveals that Belle Reve was lost due to a foreclosed mortgage, a disclosure that signifies the dire nature of Blanche’s financial circumstances. Blanche’s heavy drinking, which she attempts to conceal from her sister and brother-in-law, is another sign that all is not well with Blanche.
The unhappiness that accompanies the animal magnetism of Stella and Stanley’s marriage reveals itself when Stanley hosts a drunken poker game with his male friends at the apartment. Blanche gets under Stanley’s skin, especially when she starts to win the affections of his close friend Mitch. After Mitch has been absent for a while, speaking with Blanche in the bedroom, Stanley erupts, storms into the bedroom, and throws the radio out of the window. When Stella yells at Stanley and defends Blanche, Stanley beats her. The men pull him off, the poker game breaks up, and Blanche and Stella escape to their upstairs neighbor Eunice’s apartment. A short while later, Stanley is remorseful and cries up to Stella to forgive him. To Blanche’s alarm, Stella returns to Stanley and embraces him passionately. Mitch meets Blanche outside of the Kowalski flat and comforts her in her distress.
The next day, Blanche tries to convince Stella to leave Stanley for a better man whose social status equals Stella’s. Blanche suggests that she and Stella contact a millionaire named Shep Huntleigh for help escaping from New Orleans; when Stella laughs at her, Blanche reveals that she is completely broke. Stanley walks in as Blanche is making fun of him and secretly overhears Blanche and Stella’s conversation. Later, he threatens Blanche with hints that he has heard rumors of her disreputable past. She is visibly dismayed.
While Blanche is alone in the apartment one evening, waiting for Mitch to pick her up for a date, a teenage boy comes by to collect money for the newspaper. Blanche doesn’t have any money for him, but she hits on him and gives him a lustful kiss. Soon after the boy departs, Mitch arrives, and they go on their date. When Blanche returns, she is exhausted and clearly has been uneasy for the entire night about the rumors Stanley mentioned earlier. In a surprisingly sincere heart-to-heart discussion with Mitch, Blanche reveals the greatest tragedy of her past. Years ago, her young husband committed suicide after she discovered and chastised him for his homosexuality. Mitch describes his own loss of a former love, and he tells Blanche that they need each other.
When the next scene begins, about one month has passed. It is the afternoon of Blanche’s birthday. Stella is preparing a dinner for Blanche, Mitch, Stanley, and herself, when Stanley comes in to tell her that he has learned news of Blanche’s sordid past. He says that after losing the DuBois mansion, Blanche moved into a fleabag motel from which she was eventually evicted because of her numerous sexual liaisons. Also, she was fired from her job as a schoolteacher because the principal discovered that she was having an affair with a teenage student. Stella is horrified to learn that Stanley has told Mitch these stories about Blanche.
The birthday dinner comes and goes, but Mitch never arrives. Stanley indicates to Blanche that he is aware of her past. For a birthday present, he gives her a one-way bus ticket back to Laurel. Stanley’s cruelty so disturbs Stella that it appears the Kowalski household is about to break up, but the onset of Stella’s labor prevents the imminent fight.
Several hours later, Blanche, drunk, sits alone in the apartment. Mitch, also drunk, arrives and repeats all he’s learned from Stanley. Eventually Blanche confesses that the stories are true, but she also reveals the need for human affection she felt after her husband’s death. Mitch tells Blanche that he can never marry her, saying she isn’t fit to live in the same house as his mother. Having learned that Blanche is not the chaste lady she pretended to be, Mitch tries to have sex with Blanche, but she forces him to leave by yelling “Fire!” to attract the attention of passersby outside.
Later, Stanley returns from the hospital to find Blanche even more drunk. She tells him that she will soon be leaving New Orleans with her former suitor Shep Huntleigh, who is now a millionaire. Stanley knows that Blanche’s story is entirely in her imagination, but he is so happy about his baby that he proposes they each celebrate their good fortune. Blanche spurns Stanley, and things grow contentious. When she tries to step past him, he refuses to move out of her way. Blanche becomes terrified to the point that she smashes a bottle on the table and threatens to smash Stanley in the face. Stanley grabs her arm and says that it’s time for the “date” they’ve had set up since Blanche’s arrival. Blanche resists, but Stanley uses his physical strength to overcome her, and he carries her to bed. The pulsing music indicates that Stanley rapes Blanche.
The next scene takes place weeks later, as Stella and her neighbor Eunice pack Blanche’s bags. Blanche is in the bath, and Stanley plays poker with his buddies in the front room. A doctor will arrive soon to take Blanche to an insane asylum, but Blanche believes she is leaving to join her millionaire. Stella confesses to Eunice that she simply cannot allow herself to believe Blanche’s assertion that Stanley raped her. When Blanche emerges from the bathroom, her deluded talk makes it clear that she has lost her grip on reality.
The doctor arrives with a nurse, and Blanche initially panics and struggles against them when they try to take her away. Stanley and his friends fight to subdue Blanche, while Eunice holds Stella back to keep her from interfering. Mitch begins to cry. Finally, the doctor approaches Blanche in a gentle manner and convinces her to leave with him. She allows him to lead her away and does not look back or say goodbye as she goes. Stella sobs with her child in her arms, and Stanley comforts her with loving words and caresses.
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/summary.html
To read an in-depth analysis of characters, themes, motifs & symbols visit
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/characters.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/canalysis.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/themes.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/facts.html
Study Questions & Essay Topics
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/study.html
Quiz
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/quiz.html
пятница, 26 февраля 2010 г.
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