The Great Gatsby has been released - the long-awaited interpretation by Baz Luhrmann classic work American literature. Surely millions of hands will now reach out to bookshelves, to remove Fitzgerald's volume from there. Which American author is most often reread by directors?

Lyman Frank Baum

60 novels and stories (+ 4 that are lost)
68 stories (+ 3 lost)
5 poetic works
12 pieces (+ 4 lost)
Film adaptations: 105 (large - 31)

Baum was one of the most talented children's writers of his era. But he remained in history mainly as the “court historian of Oz” - that’s what he called himself. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of fantasies about this magical world, and a significant part of them have been embodied in cinema. Baum's most famous film adaptation can be considered "The Wizard of Oz" by Victor Fleming (in the same 1939 he filmed "Gone with the Wind") with Judy Garland in the role of Dorothy. And recently, the director of “Spider-Man” and “Evil Dead” Sam Raimi turned to the history of Oz, filming the film “Oz the Great and Powerful”, a kind of prequel to Fleming’s film.

Henry James

20 novels
112 stories
12 plays
Film adaptations: 72 (large - 29)

James lived in Europe from the age of 30, so it is impossible to consider him a purely American writer. And a year before his death, he generally accepted British citizenship. However, it was the inhabitants of the New World who most often became the heroes of his works. The film "The Wings of the Dove", filmed in 1997 by Ian Softley based on the novel by Henry James, was nominated for an Oscar four times.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald

About 70 stories
5 novels
1 piece
1 collection of journalism
Screen adaptations: 40 (large - 27)

The king of the "Jazz Age", Fitzgerald himself coined this term, uniting the period American history from the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Great Depression. Almost all of his heroes are representatives of “ lost generation", people who believed in the American dream, but did not find in it what they were looking for. So was Jay Gatsby, whose book was filmed five times. The last to do this was Baz Luhrmann, who cast Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. Before him, the most famous Gatsby can be considered Robert Redford. And in 2008, David Fincher filmed based on short story Fitzgerald's three-hour film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

James Fenimore Cooper

33 novels
5 stories
6 historical works and biographies
2 political essays
6 travel stories
1 memoirs
Film adaptations: 38 (large - 22)

This classic of American literature is known for his adventure novels. According to legend, Cooper wrote his first work as a bet, promising his wife that he could outdo the book she was reading at that moment. In 1909, the first short film, Leather Stockings, was made based on his novels. And in 1992, Michael Mann directed the film “The Last of the Mohicans” with Daniel Day-Lewis in leading role. The film received an Oscar for best sound.

Ernest Hemingway

10 collections of short stories
11 novels and stories
13 works of documentary prose
Film adaptations: 55 (large - 19)

Hemingway was famous for his short and succinct style, so it is very difficult to count the stories he wrote. Suffice it to remember that it was he who owned one of the most famous short works, which in the original consists of only six words (and when translated it can be shortened to three): “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” The first time Hemingway's novel was filmed was in 1932 (“A Farewell to Arms”). And in 1999 Russian artist Alexander Petrov created the short animated film “The Old Man and the Sea”, for which he received an Oscar.

William Faulkner

19 novels and stories
24 stories
1 poetry collection
Film adaptations: 43 (large - 13)

For a long time, Faulkner's works were considered quite difficult to understand and were valued more by critics than by readers. Universal fame came to the writer after he received in 1949 Nobel Prize on literature. In 1959, his most famous novel"The Sound and the Fury". Faulkner himself wrote scripts that were not tied to his literary works. Thus, based on his script, director Howard Hawks shot the film “Deep Sleep” in 1946 with Humphrey Bogart in the title role.

Contemporaries

A living legend of 20th century science fiction. The films “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile”, directed by Frank Darabont based on the works of King, invariably take the first two places in the top 250 of KinoPoisk. This fall, another film adaptation of “Carrie” is expected, called “Telekinesis” in Russian distribution. This novel was first brought to the screen by Brian De Palma in 1976. His co-stars, Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, were nominated for an Oscar for Best female role and Best Supporting Actress respectively.

Ray Bradbury

About 400 stories
11 novels
21 plays
Film adaptations: 58 (large - 19)

When Bradbury passed away last year, his fans around the world could not come to terms with the passing of a writer whose books were so imbued with a love of life. Bradbury's worlds are limitless, everyone can find something of their own in them. And the directors saw them differently. In 1966, the Frenchman François Truffaut filmed the novel Fahrenheit 451, and the film was nominated for the Venetian Golden Lion. And Bradbury himself wrote the script for the 1983 American film adaptation of the novel Something Scary This Way Comes.

Donald Edwin Westlake

10 collections of stories
112 novels
2 documentary stories
Film adaptations: 31 (large - 25)

Westlake wrote many more novels than screenplays, but for one of them, for the film “Scammers,” he was even nominated for an Oscar. Westlake was made famous by the crime genre. His books have been filmed by Jean-Luc Godard (Made in the USA, 1966), Peter Yates (The Stolen Stone, 1972) and Costa-Gavras (The Guillotine Knife, 2004). Westlake is also known for the Parker series of novels, which he published under the pseudonym Richard Stark. Most recently, the thief Parker was played by Jason Statham in the action film by Taylor Hackford.

Tennessee Williams

20 stories
2 stories
2 poetic works
38 plays (+ 70 one-acts)
Film adaptations: 59 (large - 22)

Screenplays based on plays by Tennessee Williams were twice nominated for Oscars: A Streetcar Named Desire in 1952 and Baby Doll in 1957. The first of these films, by the way, won four statuettes. One of them was received by the leading actress Vivien Leigh. Another iconic Williams adaptation is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Richard Brooks and starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman.

Elmore Leonard

4 stories
48 novels
Film adaptations: 41 (large - 21)

Leonard's calling card is armed heroes and heartfelt dialogues. Directors love this master of the western and detective story. In 2007, James Mangold directed his story into the film Train to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. In 1997, Leonard's novel Rum Punch became the basis for the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown. Also film adaptations of the writer’s novels are the 1995 crime comedy “Get Shorty” and its sequel “Be Cool! » 2005. Both films starring John Travolta.

Michael Crichton

10 stories
27 novels
4 documentaries
Screen adaptations: 26 (large - 18)

The first novel that Crichton signed with his name was The Andromeda Strain. It was first filmed in 1971 by Robert Wise, and the writer played a cameo role in the film. But real glory came to Crichton thanks to the novel “Jurassic Park.” Steven Spielberg made a cult adventure film based on it, for which Crichton himself wrote the script. In 1997 they released

“Sinlessness” became a real sensation last year: it is called Franzen’s most scandalous and most Russian novel. Reasoning about acute social problems, totalitarian nature Internet, feminism and politics are intertwined with deep, very personal history one family.

A young girl named Pip's life is a complete mess: she doesn't know her father, can't pay off her student debt, doesn't know how to build relationships, and has a boring job. But her life changes dramatically when she becomes an assistant to hacker Andreas Wulff, who loves nothing more than to publicly reveal other people's secrets.

2. The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Richard Papen recalls his student days at a private college in Vermont: he and several of his friends attended a private course by an eccentric teacher on ancient culture. One prank of an elite circle of students ended in a murder, which only at first glance remained unpunished.

After the incident, other secrets of the heroes are revealed, which lead to new tragedies in their lives.

3. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis

Ellis's most famous novel is already considered modern classics. Main character- Patrick Bateman, a handsome, rich and seemingly intelligent young man from Wall Street. But behind the good looks and expensive suits lies greed, hatred and rage. At night, he tortures and kills people in the most sophisticated ways, without a system and without a plan.

4. “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer

A touching story from the perspective of a 9-year-old boy Oscar. His father died in one of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. While examining his father's closet, Oscar finds a vase, and in it is a small envelope with the inscription "Black" and a key inside. Inspired and filled with curiosity, Oscar is ready to go around all the Blacks in New York to find the answer to the riddle. This is a story about overcoming bereavement, post-disaster New York, and human kindness.

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

“The Catcher in the Rye” about modern teenagers is what critics dubbed Stephen Chbosky’s book, which sold a million copies and was filmed by the author himself.

Charlie is a typical quiet person, a silent observer of what is happening, turns into high school. After a recent nervous breakdown, he withdrew into himself. To overcome inner experiences, he begins to write letters. Letters to a friend, unknown person- to the reader of this book. On the advice of his new comrade Pete, he tries to become “not a sponge, but a filter” - to live life to the fullest, and not watch her from the side.

6. The Hours, Michael Cunningham

The story of a day in the life three women from different eras from a Pulitzer Prize winner. The destinies of the British writer Virginia Woolf, the American housewife Laura from Los Angeles and the publishing editor Clarissa Vaughan, at first glance, are connected only by the book - the novel Mrs. Dalloway. But by the end it becomes clear that the lives and problems of the heroines, despite all the external differences, are the same.

7. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

Nick and Amazing Amy - perfect couple. But on the day of the fifth anniversary, Amy disappears from the house - there are all traces of abduction. The whole city goes in search of the missing woman and sympathizes with Nick until Amy's diary falls into the hands of the police, because of which her husband becomes the main suspect in the murder. The main intrigue of the novel is who was the real victim in this situation.

Flynn's novel attracts with its unconventional view of modern marriage: partners marry beautiful projections of each other and then are very surprised when behind the invented image a living person is discovered, whom they do not know at all.

8. Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children's Crusade, Kurt Vonnegut

The writer's difficult war experience is reflected in this novel. Memories of the bombing in Dresden are shown through the eyes of the absurd, timid soldier Billy Pilgrim - one of those foolish children who were abandoned on terrible war. But Vonnegut would not be himself if he had not also introduced an element of fantasy into the novel: either due to post-traumatic syndrome, or due to alien intervention, Pilgrim learned to travel in time.

Despite the fantastic nature of what is happening, the message of the novel is quite real and clear: Vonnegut ridicules stereotypes about “real men” and demonstrates the pointlessness of wars.

9. “Beloved,” Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison received the Nobel Prize in Literature for "bringing to life an important aspect of American reality in her dreamy, poetic novels." Time magazine named the novel “Beloved” one of the 100 best books in English.

The main character is the slave Sethe, who, along with her children, escaped from her cruel masters and remained free for only 28 days. When the chase overtakes Sethe, she kills her daughter with her own hands - so that she does not know slavery and does not experience the same thing as her mother. The memory of the past and this terrible choice haunts Sethe all her life.

10. A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin

Fantasy epic about magical world The Seven Kingdoms, where the struggle for the Iron Throne continues, while a terrible winter approaches the entire continent. On this moment Five novels out of a planned seven have been published. The remaining two parts are awaited by both fans of the writer’s work and fans of “”, a series based on the saga that is breaking all popularity records.

“Sinlessness” became a real sensation last year: it is called Franzen’s most scandalous and most Russian novel. Discussions about pressing social issues, the totalitarian nature of the Internet, feminism and politics are intertwined with the deep, very personal story of one family.

A young girl named Pip's life is a complete mess: she doesn't know her father, can't pay off her student debt, doesn't know how to build relationships, and has a boring job. But her life changes dramatically when she becomes an assistant to hacker Andreas Wulff, who loves nothing more than to publicly reveal other people's secrets.

2. The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Richard Papen recalls his student days at a private college in Vermont: he and several of his friends attended a private course on ancient culture from an eccentric teacher. One prank of an elite circle of students ended in a murder, which only at first glance remained unpunished.

After the incident, other secrets of the heroes are revealed, which lead to new tragedies in their lives.

3. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis

Ellis's best-known novel is already considered a modern classic. The main character is Patrick Bateman, a handsome, rich and seemingly intelligent young man from Wall Street. But behind the good looks and expensive suits lies greed, hatred and rage. At night, he tortures and kills people in the most sophisticated ways, without a system and without a plan.

4. “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer

A touching story from the perspective of a 9-year-old boy Oscar. His father died in one of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. While examining his father's closet, Oscar finds a vase, and in it is a small envelope with the inscription "Black" and a key inside. Inspired and filled with curiosity, Oscar is ready to go around all the Blacks in New York to find the answer to the riddle. This is a story about overcoming bereavement, post-disaster New York, and human kindness.

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

“The Catcher in the Rye” about modern teenagers is what critics dubbed Stephen Chbosky’s book, which sold a million copies and was filmed by the author himself.

Charlie is a typical quiet, silent observer of what is happening, goes to high school. After a recent nervous breakdown, he withdrew into himself. To overcome his inner feelings, he begins to write letters. Letters to a friend, an unknown person - the reader of this book. On the advice of his new friend Pete, he tries to become “not a sponge, but a filter” - to live life to the fullest, and not watch it from the sidelines.

6. The Hours, Michael Cunningham

The story of one day in three lives women from different eras from a Pulitzer Prize winner. The destinies of the British writer Virginia Woolf, the American housewife Laura from Los Angeles and the publishing editor Clarissa Vaughan, at first glance, are connected only by the book - the novel Mrs. Dalloway. But by the end it becomes clear that the lives and problems of the heroines, despite all the external differences, are the same.

7. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

Nick and Amazing Amy are the perfect couple. But on the day of the fifth anniversary, Amy disappears from the house - there are all traces of abduction. The whole city goes in search of the missing woman and sympathizes with Nick until Amy's diary falls into the hands of the police, because of which her husband becomes the main suspect in the murder. The main intrigue of the novel is who was the real victim in this situation.

Flynn's novel attracts with its unconventional view of modern marriage: partners marry beautiful projections of each other and then are very surprised when behind the invented image a living person is discovered, whom they do not know at all.

8. Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children's Crusade, Kurt Vonnegut

The writer's difficult war experience is reflected in this novel. Memories of the bombing in Dresden are shown through the eyes of the absurd, timid soldier Billy Pilgrim - one of those foolish children who were thrown into a terrible war. But Vonnegut would not be himself if he had not also introduced an element of fantasy into the novel: either due to post-traumatic syndrome, or due to alien intervention, Pilgrim learned to travel in time.

Despite the fantastic nature of what is happening, the message of the novel is quite real and clear: Vonnegut ridicules stereotypes about “real men” and demonstrates the pointlessness of wars.

9. “Beloved,” Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison received the Nobel Prize in Literature for "bringing to life an important aspect of American reality in her dreamy, poetic novels." And Time magazine named the novel “Beloved” one of the 100 best books in English.

The main character is the slave Sethe, who, along with her children, escaped from her cruel masters and remained free for only 28 days. When the chase overtakes Sethe, she kills her daughter with her own hands - so that she does not know slavery and does not experience the same thing as her mother. The memory of the past and this terrible choice haunts Sethe all her life.

10. A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin

A fantasy epic about the magical world of the Seven Kingdoms, where the struggle for the Iron Throne continues, while a terrible winter approaches the entire continent. So far, five novels out of a planned seven have been published. The remaining two parts are awaited by both fans of the writer’s work and fans of “”, a series based on the saga that is breaking all popularity records.

Famous American writers and their work are examples of successful literary achievements.

Famous American Writers

Famous American writers include: Mark Twain, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, O. Henry, Blanche Barton, Edgar Allan Poe, John Steinbeck, Theodore Dreiser, William Faulkner, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Dan Brown and others.

(1876-1916) - American writer, public figure, socialist. He is best known as the author of adventure stories and novels. Creative heritage has many works, these include: “ Sea wolf"(1904), " White Fang"(1906), "Interstellar Traveler" (1915), etc.

(1835-1910) - American writer, humorist, satirist, publicist, publisher. The most famous works are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
William Faulkner wrote that he was “the first truly American writer, and we have all been his heirs ever since,” and Ernest Hemingway wrote that “all modern American literature has come from one book by Mark Twain, called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” "".

(1862-1910) - American writer, master of the short story genre. O. Henry occupies an exceptional place in American literature as a master of the short story genre. Before his death, O. Henry expressed his intention to move on to a more complex genre - to the novel: “Everything that I have written so far is just self-indulgence, an attempt at writing, compared to what I will write in a year.” Henry's heroes are diverse: millionaires, cowboys, speculators, clerks, laundresses, bandits, financiers, politicians, writers, actors, painters, workers, engineers, firefighters. O. Henry's originality consisted in the brilliant use of jargon, sharp words and expressions, and in the general colorfulness of the dialogues.
Creative heritage: “The Roads We Choose” (1904), “The Gifts of the Magi” (1905), “The Last Leaf” (1907).

(1899-1961) - American writer and journalist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1953.
He became widely known for his novels and short stories, as well as for his active and adventurous life. His laconic and rich narrative style played a significant role in the literature of the 20th century. In 1993, the minor planet 3656 Hemingway was named in his honor. During his life he wrote and published 7 short stories, 6 collections of stories and 2 documentaries. Additional work, which include 3 short stories, 4 collections of short stories, 3 documentaries, published posthumously. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature.