Paul Zindel (1936–2003)
Auteur de The Pigman
A propos de l'auteur
Paul Zindel Born on Staten Island, New York, Zindel was raised by a single mother who pursued a variety of odd and mostly unsuccessful jobs and took in terminally ill patients to supplement the family income. Due to her eccentricity and restlessness, the mother moved the family from one apartment afficher plus to another, making it difficult for Zindel to form lasting friendships. As a consequence, the boy lived in the world of his imagination, developing interests in both science and writing. Zindel majored in chemistry at Wagner College on Staten Island, completing both bachelors and masters degrees. During this period he also took a creative-writing course offered by the playwright Edward Albee. After college he worked briefly as a technical writer for a chemical company and then discovered a more fulfilling vocation as a teacher of chemistry and physics at a Staten Island high school. It was during this period in the early 1960s that Zindel was able to develop his potential as a playwright by drawing on his own background as well as the experiences of his young students. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds premiered at the Alley Theater in Houston in 1965, was presented in a condensed version on television the following year, and finally opened off-Broadway at the Mercer-O'Casey Theater in 1970. Because of a fire in the theater, the play was moved, with a new cast, to the New Theater on Broadway, where it ran for a total of 819 performances. In addition to being enormously popular, Gamma Rays earned in 1970 an Obie Award as the best play of the season, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award as the best American play, and the Vernon Rice Drama Desk Award for most promising playwright. In 1971 the play was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Gamma Rays is the story of an embittered, half-mad widow, Beatrice Hunsdorfer; her teenaged daughters, Ruth and Tillie; and Nanny, a decrepit old woman who boards with them. The family lives in chaos, with Beatrice dealing out petty vengeance to everyone. Nanny has been abandoned by her daughter. Ruth is wanton, untidy, and subject to seizures. Tillie, however, has become interested in science and enters her marigold experiment in the science fair; by exposing the marigold seeds to radiation, she shows that some produce normal plants, others produce mutations with beautiful double blooms, while still others die. The metaphor, of course, is that Tillie has emerged from her chaotic environment as a beautiful and whole person, a human "double bloom." Zindel's other plays include And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little (1971), The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild(1973), Let Me Hear You Whisper (1973), and Ladies at the Alamo(1975). While these plays continue to show Zindel's skill in writing excellent roles for women, none of them have matched the critical and popular success of Gamma Rays. Since the late 1960s, Zindel has also written several novels for young adults. The Pigman (1968), which is about a lonely widower and two destructive teenagers, has sold more than 1 million copies. His other novels include My Darling, My Hamburger (1969), I Never Loved Your Mind (1970), Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball (1976), Confessions of a Teenage Baboon (1977), and The Undertaker's Gone Bananas (1978). As in Gamma Rays, these works display not only a penchant for grotesque humor but an uncanny awareness of the problems of teenagers. Zindel's works, which also include several screenplays, explore the themes of loneliness, escapism, and eccentricity. His best works are humorous, perceptive, and warm; they present an affirmation of life emerging from desperate and grotesque circumstances. He is especially noted for his excellent women's roles, which has helped sustain him as a best-selling playwright for school and community groups. (Bowker Author Biography) afficher moins
Crédit image: Paul Zindel (1936-2003) from Life in Legacy
Séries
Œuvres de Paul Zindel
Rache ist nicht wirklich süss 2 exemplaires
Eine Begonie fur Miss Applebaum 2 exemplaires
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (Plays by Paul Zindel (Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author)) 2 exemplaires
Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild, The ; Act 1-3 1 exemplaire
Der megastarke Lachknüller. Pausenclub Irre Infos. 1 exemplaire
Effect og Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds 1 exemplaire
Amulets Against the Dragon Forces (Plays by Paul Zindel (Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author)) (2012) 1 exemplaire
A Collection of Five Books by Paul Zindel: The Pigman; Pardon Me, You're Stepping on my Eyeball; Harry and… (1986) 1 exemplaire
Rachel's Vampire [short story] 1 exemplaire
Ladies of the Alamo (performance of May 23, 1977) 1 exemplaire
City Safari No. 3 1 exemplaire
The Ladies Should Be in Bed 1 exemplaire
Oeuvres associées
Places I Never Meant to Be: Original Stories by Censored Writers (1999) — Contributeur — 316 exemplaires
The Actor's Book of Contemporary Stage Monologues: More Than 150 Monologues from More Than 70 Playwrights (1987) — Contributeur — 178 exemplaires
Monologues Women: 50 Speeches from the Contemporary Theatre (v. 1) (1976) — Contributeur — 30 exemplaires
The Art of Life: An Anthology of Literature about Life and Work (1997) — Contributeur — 1 exemplaire
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
- Date de naissance
- 1936-05-15
- Date de décès
- 2003-03-27
- Lieu de sépulture
- Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island, New York, USA
- Sexe
- male
- Nationalité
- USA
- Lieu de naissance
- Staten Island, New York, USA
- Lieu du décès
- New York, New York, USA
- Lieux de résidence
- Staten Island, New York, USA
- Études
- Wagner College
- Relations
- Zindel, Lizabeth (daughter)
- Prix et distinctions
- Margaret A. Edwards Award (2002)
Membres
Critiques
Listes
Prix et récompenses
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Auteurs associés
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 70
- Aussi par
- 10
- Membres
- 8,432
- Popularité
- #2,859
- Évaluation
- 3.5
- Critiques
- 159
- ISBN
- 522
- Langues
- 10
- Favoris
- 8
I had never read this book myself but chose it for my student on the recommendation of a colleague who teaches middle school Language Arts.
It made both of us laugh out loud because of the colloquial writing and societal observations made.
Unfortunately, although I loved it, my student only gave it 2 out of 4 stars. He felt the story was outdated.