The Human Comedy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the work by Honoré de Balzac, see La Comédie humaine.
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| First edition cover | |
| Author | William Saroyan |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Harcourt |
| Released | 1 February 1943 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
The Human Comedy is a novel by William Saroyan. Homer Macauley is a 14 year-old boy growing up fatherless in the San Joaquin Valley of California during World War II. His oldest brother is off fighting the war, and Homer feels he needs to be the man of the family. The novel was written to give hope during World War II.
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[edit] Allusions/references to other works
The Human Comedy also has several references to Homer's Odyssey. Homer is both the name of the author of the Odyssey and the main character in this novel. Homer's young brother's name, Ulysses, is the Roman form of the name Odysseus, the Odyssey's protagonist. The theme of both of the books is going home. Ithaca, is both Homer's and Ulysses' home-town in the novel, and Odysseus' home-island in the Odyssey.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
[edit] The film
The novel was made into a film in 1943. It stars Mickey Rooney, Frank Morgan, James Craig, Marsha Hunt, Fay Bainter, Ray Collins, Van Johnson and Donna Reed.
The movie was adapted by Howard Estabrook and directed by Clarence Brown.
It won the Academy Award for Best Story and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Mickey Rooney), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Director and Best Picture.
[edit] Theatrical musical
It was also adapted into a 1984 Broadway musical/rock opera by Galt MacDermot and Bill Dumaresq. It starred Stephen Geoffreys, Rex Smith and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. A commercial failure, it closed on April 15, 1984, only 10 days after its official opening.
[edit] Trivia
- The story of The Human Comedy, Homer and Ulysses in particular is based on Saroyan's life, living fatherless with his siblings and his mother.
- Ithaca, California is based on real town of Fresno, Saroyan's home-town
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