EXCERPT | CONTENTS | NEWS | USEFUL INFO | READING GROUPS | CONTACT ME



photo credit: George C. Anderson



ADAPTATIONS:From Short Story to Big Screen

"Avid readers and film buffs alike will relish Harrison's thought-provoking opus about the process of adapting short stories into screenplays. From science fiction to social satire, Harrison this captivating collection of 35 tales embraces literary greats like Chekhov and Cheever and memorable writings long out of print (such as Frank Rooney's "Cyclists' Raid" which became the 1953 Brando classic The Wild One). Harrison devotes a chapter to every imaginable genre, prefacing each with quotes and anecdotes from writers, directors and actors associated with the creative endeavors selected. ... Steven Spielberg, Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford are among the cast of cinematic personalities in this tribute to the inspiration and perspiration required to turn fiction into film."
—Booklist *Starred Review*

"... and that her anthology includes Philip K. Dick, Harvey Pekar and Anton Chekhov demonstrates Harrison's good, not to mention wide-ranging, taste."
—Premiere

"A handy guide, particularly for film and literature groups."
—Library Journal

"It's that rare book that isn't just welcome in the world but one that's long been needed."
—EDITOR'S CHOICE, Buffalo News

"Editor Stephanie Harrison has smartly made a kind of double book. Adaptations can be read as a fascinating anthology of the short story as a form, not simply the "best" literary or memorable popular pieces but an eclectic nature walk through short stories in all their varieties. But for TCM viewers more interesting is the other book, the one about how these stories became films and what occurs along those paths, something Harrison covers nicely in the introductions to each grouped section."
—TurnerClassicMovies.com, Feature

Click here to read an introductory excerpt.

PURCHASE NOW FROM AMAZON

CONTENTS

Short Cuts
"Jerry and Molly and Sam" by Raymond Carver

Blow-Up
"Blow-Up" by Julio Cortazar

A Face in the Crowd
"Your Arkansas Traveler" by Budd Schulberg

Rear Window
"It Had to be Murder" by Cornell Woolrich

2001: A Space Odyssey
"The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke

AI: Artificial Intelligence
"Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" by Brian Aldiss

Freaks
"Spurs" by Tod Robbins

The Fly
"The Fly" by George Langelaan

Re-Animator
"Herbert West--Reanimator: Six Shots by Midnight" by H.P. Lovecraft

Stagecoach
"Stage to Lordsburg" by Ernest Haycox

Smoke Signals
"This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" by Sherman Alexie

American Splendor
"The Harvey Pekar Name Story" by Harvey Pekar

Ghost World
"Hubba Hubba" by Dan Clowes

All About Eve
"The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr

Meet John Doe
"A Reputation" by Richard Connell

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
"Mr. Blandings Builds His Castle" by Eric Hodgins

The Wild One
"Cyclists' Raid" by Frank Rooney

Tomorrow
"Tomorrow" by William Faulkner

Bringing Up Baby
"Bringing Up Baby" by Hagar Wilde

The Last Time I Saw Paris
"Babylon, Revisited" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Swimmer
"The Swimmer" by John Cheever

The Fallen Idol
"A Basement Room" by Graham Greene

Click here to see the full table of contents.



©Stephanie Harrison
Updated 10/31/05