The seventh art has surrendered to some of the most important authors of universal literature. The works of Franz Kafka, Truman Capote, Jane Austen or Charles Bukowski made the leap to the screen thanks to the encouragement and admiration of those filmmakers who knew how to appreciate the eternal contribution of these and other writers. With our sights set on April 23, International Book Day, we join this passion for literature and pay our particular tribute to twenty of the most relevant writers of all time.
Miguel de Cervantes (1547 – 1616)
The one-armed man from Lepanto gave us ” the best literary work ever written “, according to the prestigious Norwegian Book Club. “Don Quixote”, which has become the most edited and translated book in history after the Bible, is the first chivalric work that demystified the chivalric tradition. Cervantes’ work has been part of literature for more than 400 years, but it also entered the history of the seventh art thanks to a master like Orson Welles, who filmed his particular vision of Europe for fourteen years through the adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
PS Although Welles never got to see the result of the film, which he left incomplete, today we can enjoy it thanks to the great work of the late filmmaker Jess Franco, who gathered the materials of his filmmaker friend and edited the film according to the instructions that he had left writings.
Marquis De Sade (1740 – 1814)
The controversial works of the Marquis de Sade have inevitably generated film adaptations that are as controversial as or more controversial than the original novel. The case of ” Salo or the 120 days of Sodom “, by Pier Paolo Pasolini, was one of the most notorious examples. The story about the dark sexual desires of the fascists in Mussolini’s Italy was persecuted for 35 years and its dissemination was prohibited in several countries, before being elevated as one of the most significant cult works in the history of the seventh art. ” Justine de Sade ” is another of the novels about depravity and lust that was adapted to the cinema.
Goethe (1749 – 1832)
The German novelist, poet and playwright who had a profound influence on romanticism transferred to paper one of the most widespread myths in literature: “ Faust ”. This tragedy, which has been subsequently reviewed by authors such as Walter Benjamin or Thomas Mann, has also found its place in the cinema.
“Faust”, shot by Murnau in 1926, was the director’s last German film, which brought it to the screen in a blockbuster.
Jane Austen (1775 – 1817)
The British novelist wrote some of the great classics of English literature, such as ” Pride and Prejudice ” or ” Emma “. The great acceptance for Austen’s works also occurred in the films based on her novels. “ Mansfield Park ” and “ Northanger Abbey ” made it to the movies with Patricia Rozema and Andrew Davies at the helm.
Mary Shelley (1797 – 1851)
In 1818, the London writer gave life to the most famous monster in literature, which would later also become one of the most terrifying in cinema: ” Frankenstein “. Director James Whale ‘ s adaptation of Mary Shelley ‘s novel, along with Boris Karloff ‘ s heartwarming portrayal of this creature in search of its identity, is considered one of the best horror movies of all time.
Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885)
One of the greatest works of the 19th century came from the pen of this French poet and writer, who defended the oppressed in the unforgettable ” Les Miserables.” A story of broken dreams, unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption that came to the cinema at the hands of Jean-Paul Le Chanois in 1958. Tom Hooper rescued it again two years ago in the form of a musical.
Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
The work of the English novelist who portrayed the Victorian era through humor, irony and social criticism, generated a great impact on the society of the time by clearly challenging its conventions and stereotypes. Marriages between members of different social classes, open conversations about intimate life or the audacity to touch oneself in public are just some of the examples of transgression in Dickens’s novels that shocked conservative audiences, but at the same time allowed progress to be made. in the thought of the time.
Herman Melville (1819 – 1891)
The epic battle between man and beast that takes place in ” Moby Dick ” led the American writer to become one of the most important in the history of literature. Years later, Melville and Captain Ahab have been honored by celluloid on various occasions. The difficult adaptation of this titanic work that John Huston carried out in 1956 stands out, with the writer Ray Bradbury writing the script and Gregory Peck in command of the Pequod. Call me Ishmael.
