The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
| The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter | |
|---|---|
 First edition cover |
|
| Author(s) | Carson McCullers |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Publication date | 1940 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 356 pp |
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is the debut 1940 novel by American author Carson McCullers. Written in Charlotte, North Carolina, in houses on Central Avenue and East Boulevard,[1][2] it is about a deaf man named John Singer and the people he encounters in a 1930s mill town in the US state of Georgia. It created a literary sensation on publication, enjoying a meteoric rise to the top of the bestseller lists in 1940 and was the first in a string of works by McCullers to give voice to the rejected, forgotten, mistreated and oppressed. The novel was chosen as a selection for Oprah's Book Club in 2004.
In 1998, the Modern Library ranked The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter seventeenth on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Time magazine included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
The struggles of four of John Singer's acquaintances make up the majority of the narrative. They are: Mick Kelly, a tomboyish young girl who loves music and dreams of buying a piano; Jake Blount, an alcoholic labor agitator; Biff Brannon, the observant owner of a diner; and Dr. Benedict Copeland, an idealistic African American doctor.
[edit] Film adaptation
The novel was adapted into a movie in 1968, starring Alan Arkin, Sondra Locke and Cicely Tyson.
[edit] Play adaptation
A stage adaptation of The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter premiered on March 30, 2005, at The Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. The show ran until April 24 of that year, and then toured. The play was an Alliance Theater presentation done in association with The Acting Company out of New York. The play, adapted by Rebecca Gilman, was directed by Doug Hughes.[4][5][6]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.carson-mccullers.com/mccullers/CarsonHeartHouse1937.htm
- ^ http://www.cmhpf.org/surveys&rmayer.htm
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/
- ^ http://thefastertimes.com/theatertalk/2009/10/14/the-new-york-theater-workshop-vs-the-deaf-a-modest-proposal-for-casting-plays/ | For a discussion of some of the issues raised by this production, both for directors and actors
- ^ Heart Tour Program: The Acting Company www.theactingcompany.org
- ^ Variety http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117926738.html?categoryid=33&cs=1
