Donna Tartt, winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for her most recent novel, The Goldfinch, established herself as a major talent with The Secret History, which has become a contemporary classic. “The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.”
In this brilliant debut novel, Donna Tartt gives us a richly textured and hypnotic story of golden youth corrupted by its own moral arrogance.
Warner Bros owns the rights to Tartt’s first novel,
The Secret History, but no film has been produced yet.
The slow pace of that project’s development is being blamed for the drawn-out process of getting The Goldfinch deal done. For clues as to how Warner Bros and Ratner might approach a prestige project like this, The Seattle Times‘ Moira Macdonald dug up an interview she did with Christopher Hampton, who had been hired to adapt The Secret History, before moving on to adapt Atonement.
What really happened?
One of the projects I most regret . . .
“I did an adaptation of Donna Tartt’s book, The Secret History, a marvelous book and very cinematic. There was a moment where [the producers] said, well, the hero’s too passive. I said, that’s what the book’s about. They said well, we can’t make a film with a passive hero.” ―Donna Tartt
Director Brett Ratner scored a major coup by landing the film rights to Donna Tartt‘s smash hit, Pulitzer-winning doorstopper, The Goldfinch. Perhaps Rat Pac Entertainment might pursuit and adapt 'The Secret History'. Until then, come and let us pass an leisure hour and storytelling: Prologue read by Donna Tartt.
Why 'The Secret History'? . . . 10 reasons that lets you in on the secrets.
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever.
When Richard Papen arrived at Hampden College, he was quickly seduced by an elite group of five students, all Greek scholars, all worldly, self-assured, and, at first glance, all highly unapproachable. Richard is drawn into their inner circle of odd rituals, shocking behavior; he learns a terrifying secret that binds them to one another...a secret about an incident in the woods in the dead of night where an ancient rite was brought to brutal life...and led to a gruesome death. And that was just the beginning.
Donna Tartt’s TSH, may be the most mystifying of Hollywood’s many missed opportunities from the '90s era. Both crisply contemporary and steeped in academic erudition. Why Hollywood Struggled to Crack TSH and Other '90s Literary Sensations? The stories that got lost in the Hollywood shuffle are as varied as they are maddening. Who's to say what's “unadaptable,”?, readers may know best; there are a handful of novels whose propulsive plotting and compelling characters seemed destined for a second life in film or cable TV: Page To Screen.
There used to be a great many novels that were deemed 'unfilmable'. But as technology has progressed and directors have become bolder, those impossible giants have fallen. We've had Lord of the Rings, The Life of Pi and Watchmen, to name a few, all of which were considered impossible (whether or not you liked them is a different matter).
However, there remain books that persistently refused to be adapted. Some due to authors who cling to the film rights with stubborn hands, and some that have escaped adaptation for no clear reason but bad luck and general Hollywood dithering. Will we ever see any of these books reach the big screen?
Continuum Contemporaries will be a wonderful source of ideas and inspiration for members of book clubs and readings groups, as well as for literature students.The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to 30 of the most popular, most acclaimed, and most influential novels of recent years.
A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question.
The books in the series will all follow the same structure: a biography of the novelist, including other works, influences, and, in some cases, an interview; a full-length study of the novel, drawing out the most important themes and ideas; a summary of how the novel was received upon publication; a summary of how the novel has performed since publication, including film or TV adaptations, literary prizes, etc.; a wide range of suggestions for further reading, including websites and discussion forums; and a list of questions for reading groups to discuss. The Secret History: A Reader's Guide
"I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell." ―Donna Tartt: In a rare visit to the UK, discusses The Secret History.
TheREVIEW Accommodates Many Voices: Chloë Grace Moretz stars at Mia in this powerful film adaptation of Gayle Forman's bestselling novel.
Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.
#IfIStay.
Discover Great New Writers; these titles all have one thing in common: great writing, from authors at the start of their careers. Thanks for Reading!
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