Michael Chabon's novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay came out way back in 2000, and I finally got around to reading it this past week. Chabon's one of those authors who I thought I'd really enjoy, but I never actually read anything they wrote. My interest started back when I saw the film adaptation of his novel Wonder Boys, before going off to college in Pittsburgh, where the novel /film is set. The film, and I would therefore presume the novel as well, represents the city so perfectly, that I thought it would be nice to further explore Chabon's works. Cut to seven years later, and I still hadn't read any of his novels. Embarrising, I know. Anyway the novel, which isn't set in Pittsburgh, but in NYC primarily, details the lives of two Jewish cousins who head into the comic book business and quickly achieve success during the Golden Age of comics, before losing much of it by the end of that era. It's a genius work, interweaving their lives with their characters, and how, at times, they have superhero personas themselves. By the end of the novel, it was if my heart was ripped out (cliche, I know). I'm just saying, I love it, and would highly recommend it to anyone. Apparently director Stephen Daldry was, for a long time, attached to a film adaptation of the work, which never came to fruition. I would actually like to see the novel made into a film, but having Daldry as the director would make me nervous. On the one hand, he wouldn't shy away from the gay stuff (as evidenced by The Hours), but on the other, I don't think he could successfully handle the grand scope of the novel. If I were to make it into a film, I'd turn it into a giant three epic along the lines of Reds or Doctor Zhivago. While some people would have qualms about that, I think it would be the best way to handle both the intimacy of the relationships and the grand scale of the plot.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Michael Chabon's novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay came out way back in 2000, and I finally got around to reading it this past week. Chabon's one of those authors who I thought I'd really enjoy, but I never actually read anything they wrote. My interest started back when I saw the film adaptation of his novel Wonder Boys, before going off to college in Pittsburgh, where the novel /film is set. The film, and I would therefore presume the novel as well, represents the city so perfectly, that I thought it would be nice to further explore Chabon's works. Cut to seven years later, and I still hadn't read any of his novels. Embarrising, I know. Anyway the novel, which isn't set in Pittsburgh, but in NYC primarily, details the lives of two Jewish cousins who head into the comic book business and quickly achieve success during the Golden Age of comics, before losing much of it by the end of that era. It's a genius work, interweaving their lives with their characters, and how, at times, they have superhero personas themselves. By the end of the novel, it was if my heart was ripped out (cliche, I know). I'm just saying, I love it, and would highly recommend it to anyone. Apparently director Stephen Daldry was, for a long time, attached to a film adaptation of the work, which never came to fruition. I would actually like to see the novel made into a film, but having Daldry as the director would make me nervous. On the one hand, he wouldn't shy away from the gay stuff (as evidenced by The Hours), but on the other, I don't think he could successfully handle the grand scope of the novel. If I were to make it into a film, I'd turn it into a giant three epic along the lines of Reds or Doctor Zhivago. While some people would have qualms about that, I think it would be the best way to handle both the intimacy of the relationships and the grand scale of the plot.
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