Michael chabon on the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay books podcast the pulitzer prizewinning novelist looks back on a modern classic at a guardian book club event how to listen to. One night in 1939, josef kavalier shuffles into his cousin sam clays cramped new york bedroom, his nerve. The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay, by michael chabon, is a 2000 novel about two cousins who embark on a comic book venture during the. He arrives in new york city, and with his cousin sam clay invents the escapist. Jewish mysticism meets americana in his novel the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay, and we find all this in the comicbook superhero, the escapist, who is the creation of the wonderful pair. Chabon achieved literary fame at age twentyfour with his first novel, the mysteries of pittsburgh 1988, which was a major critical and commercial success. The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay summary. This remarkable novel tells the story of brooklyn boy sammy klayman and his cousin josef kavalier, a jewish refugee from nazioccupied czechoslovakia.
One night in 1939, josef kavalier shuffles into his cousin. Chabons pulitzerwinning kavalier and clay heading to. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 639 pages and is available in paperback format. Michael chabon teases the return of kavalier and clay.
How do you cram 639 pages of kavalier and clay onstage. Chabons novel inspires night of book it theater and dinner examiner, 62114. Author interview michael chabon, author of the amazing. The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay by by michael.
Michael chabon on the amazing adventures of kavalier and. In joe kavalier, chabon, writing like a magical spider, effortlessly spinning out elaborate webs of words that ensnare. A young jewish man, joe kavalier, uses his fascination and dedication to the art of magic as a means to escape from german occupied prague. Though chabon has written eight novels, the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay arguably still remains his most well known work the tremendously ambitious novel took place during a 16year period in the lives of two jewish cousins, sammy clay and. Michael chabon has proven time and again that he is a master of american prose and in this, his love letter to new york and superheroes, he has done it again. Chabon and waldman will serve as showrunners on kavalier and clay. One night in 1939, josef kavalier shuffles into his cousin sam clays cramped new york bedroom, his nerveracking. Michael chabon teases the return of kavalier and clay, the 2000 novel that brought the author international praise and numerous awards. Synopsis winner of the 2001 pulitzer prize for fiction from the author wonder boys. In the third chapter, for instance, we have the words of kronblum who came to josefs. The novel follows the lives of two jewish cousins, czech artist joe kavalier and brooklyn born writer sammy clay, before, during, and after world war ii. The book is a feast for the imagination, and spectacularly written.
Michael chabon, a rock star among american authors, takes every ample ounce of his head and heart to infuse this story with amplified life, making the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay one of the richest and most satisfying books you will ever read. An adaptation of michael chabons acclaimed novel the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay has been given a series commitment at showtime. Michael chabon is the author of wonder boys, which won universal critical acclaim and was made into a feature film starring michael douglas. Chabon will transition to the new series, an epic tale of love, war and the birth of americas comic book. Michael chabons adventures of kavalier and clay series. The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay kirkus. Michael chabon sets kavalier and clay showtime series.
The main characters of this fiction, historical story are joe kavalier, sam clay. The epic novel took an epic four years, four months, and four days to write. The story unfolds in the period leading up to world war ii and continues through the war years and beyond. A stroke of sheer conceptual genius links the themes of illusion and escape with that of the european immigrant experience of america in this huge, enthralling third novel from the author of the mysteries of pittsburgh 1988 and wonder boys 1994 czech immigrant josef kavalier arrives in brooklyn in 1939 to stay with his aunts family, and sparks are immediately struck between joe.
Michael chabons the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay develops the theme of escapism on many levels. As in his acclaimed first novel, the mysteries of pittsburgh, chabon paces his story with the throttle open. He is the chairman of the board of the macdowell colony. A modern classic, the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay is the story of two men whom readers watch grow together and form the standards of the american superhero. Michael chabon is the bestselling and pulitzer prizewinning author of the mysteries of pittsburgh, wonder boys, the amazing adventures of kavalier & clay, summerland a novel for children, the final solution, the yiddish policemens union, and gentlemen of the road, as well as the short story collections. Books by michael chabon author of the amazing adventures.
Since its publication almost 20 years ago, michael chabons pulitzer prizewinning novel, the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay, has been flirting with hollywood. Comic books and magic tricks can mean more that just ballooning muscles and gag gifts or so. The novel follows the lives of the title characters, a czech artist named joe kavalier and a brooklynborn writer named sam. The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay chapter. Michael chabon has 103 books on goodreads with 875822 ratings. The amazing adventures of kavalier clay is a stunning novel of endless comic invention and unforgettable characters, written in the exhilarating prose that has led critics to compare michael chabon to cheever and nabokov. The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay by michael. The first edition of the novel was published in august 25th 2000, and was written by michael chabon. Chronicling kavalier and clays wild, funny, and poignant adventures, chabons 736page novel is longer than a comic book and 200 pages shorter than it was in its first draft. Josef kavalier escapes from czechoslovakia at the start of wwii and arrives at the house of his aunt and cousin ethel and sam clayman in new york with revenge against the nazis in his heart and extraordinary talent in his fingertips. A surprising fact about the magician bernard kornblum, joe remembered, was that he believed in magic. Entertainment weekly included his latest, the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay, on its list of the best books of 2000. In joe kavalier, chabon has created a hero for the century.