No playwright in the history of the American theater has captured the soul of the nation more incisively than Horton Foote. From his Pulitzer Prize-winning play; The Young Man From Atlanta; to his film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird; which received an Oscar; millions of people have been touched by Footes work. He has long been regarded by other playwrights and screenwriters; actors; and cognoscenti of the theater and cinema as Americas master storyteller; critics compared him to William Faulkner and Anton Chekhov. Yet Horton Footes compelling character and rich life remain largely unknown to the general public. His is the story of an artist who refused to compromise his talents for the sake of fame or money; or just to keep working -- who insisted on writing what he regarded as truth; even when for many years almost no one would listen. In the first comprehensive biography of this remarkable writer; Wilborn Hampton introduces Foote to countless Americans who have admired his work. Hampton; a theater critic for The New York Times; offers a colorful; compulsively readable account of a life and career that spanned seven decades. As a child in the small town of Wharton; Texas; Footes favorite pastime was to listen to the stories his elders told -- about themselves; their families; their neighbors -- around the dinner table or sitting on the front porch. As he once explained: "One thing I was given in life is a deep desire to listen. Ive spent my life listening. These stories have haunted me all my life." The stories also served as an inspiration for Footes life work as he chronicled Americas wistful odyssey through the twentieth century; mostly from the perspective of a small town in Texas. Beginning in the Golden Age of Television with dramas such as The Trip to Bountiful; through Broadway and Off-Broadway successes; to the mark he made in films such as Tender Mercies; and right up through a staging of his complete nine-play opus The Orphans Home Cycle; he documented the struggle of ordinary people to maintain their dignity in the face of hardship and change that the erosion of time inevitably brings. It is a theme Horton Foote lived. Yet the paradox that shines through his work is that while the externals of life alter over the years -- wealth may be gained or squandered; love may be won or lost; friends and relations die -- people themselves do not. Like Eugene ONeill; Arthur Miller; and Tennessee Williams; Horton Footes portraits of American life are iconic and true. His stories have helped shape the way Americans see themselves -- indeed; they have become part of the nations psyche; and they will speak to many generations to come.
#721689 in eBooks 2005-04-05 2005-04-05File Name: B002JPGQ2K
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. WONDERFULBy MovieLadyWonderful collection of plays by an amazing Author. Ayn Rand shows herself to be highly intelligent. literate and thought provoking.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Ralph MontagueIts Ayn Rand for Gods sake.20 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Great playsBy Herschel GreenbergAny Rand has been overlooked the past few years - she no longer appears on reading lists and I dont think her philosophy is covered in college courses. That is too bad - she is a great writer and her philosophies are worth exploring. I did not know she wrote plays. so I was surprised to find this book. I read the first of three. entitled Night of January 16th. It is a great play with an interesting twist. She wrote it so when it is performed. 12 people from the audience become the jury - their desicion affects the outcome of the play. I think that is a great idea and I wish someone would produce her work. I recommend this to anyone who has read anythig by Rand and is looking for some new material to study. Her writing is. as always. on point and her ablility to make a play needs to be explored more often. I hope more people read it and take a liking to her novels.
