The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From one of the great voices in the history of American literature, a witty and fantastical satire about aging, and the inspiration for the 2008 blockbuster film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
F. Scott Fitzgerald is best known today for his novels, but during his lifetime his fame stemmed primarily from his prolific achievements as one of America’s most gifted short story writers.
In 1860, Benjamin Button is born an old man and mysteriously begins aging backward. At the beginning of his life, he is withered and worn, but as he continues to grow younger he embraces life—he goes to war, runs a business, falls in love, has children, goes to college and prep school, and, as his mind begins to devolve, he attends kindergarten and eventually returns to the care of his nurse.
This strange and haunting story embodies the sharp social insight that has made Fitzgerald one of the great voices in American literature. Anthologized in Fitzgerald’s 1922 book Tales of the Jazz Age, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is one of his most memorable stories and has been acclaimed by generations of readers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The impending release of a movie version starring Brad Pitt has made this humorous tale, formerly among the least known of Fitzgerald's short stories, a hot property. DeFillippis and Weir's adaptation preserves the original's straight-faced tone describing the career of a man who begins life in his 70s and grows progressively younger. If bystanders find this more than "curious," they usually are just irritated at Benjamin for not behaving like other people. He himself is surprised as his body morphs, but is always open to new possibilities; his good-natured adaptability gives the social satire a gentle edge. Readers should, of course, look up Fitzgerald's original, but there's much to enjoy in this handsome little hardbound book. Cornell's sepia watercolor panels are especially clever at showing physical and emotional changes as Benjamin moves backward through life while America rolls forward for 70 years. A useful, gracefully written afterword by Donald G. Sheehy, professor of English, completes the volume nicely.
