The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-Handed Poems
ISBN 978-0679767862 | |
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-Handed Poems is a
Plot summary
The book presents a series of poems not necessarily in chronological order which fictionalize and relate Bonney's more famous exploits, after the end of the
Technical and stylistic elements
- Makes use of free verse vignettes, mostly from Bonney's perspective, to tell the story.
- The imagery and language is generally dark and compressed, evocative of the suspense and violence that characterizes Bonney's story.
- Ondaatje is quoted as saying: "I didn't want a book that explained him, that was a kind of sociological study of this cowboy or this killer."[1] He achieves this goal by writing much of the book in the first person perspective, from Billy's point of view – this forces the reader to identify, and possibly even empathize with, Bonney's actions and emotions.
- Ondaatje has stated that he first became interested in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). His characterization of Billy the Kid is largely a reaction against the clichéd "comic book" western heroes he read at the time.[1]
Publication history
The book was written by Ondaatje in the late 1960s in Canada, after he emigrated from Ceylon to England and further relocated to Quebec in order to attend college.
Critical reception
On its release, the volume received largely positive reviews. Most notably, it received the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry in 1970 from the Canadian Arts Council.
Adaptation
Ondaatje adapted the novel into a play. It premiered in Toronto in multiple times, notably at the Dallas Theater Center,[7] the Stratford Festival[7] and the Toronto Free Theatre.[8] The play has received generally positive critical attention.[citation needed] Before the 1990 run in Toronto, Ondaatje revised his original script to better explore the female characters in the work. He stated that the original work was "a very male book" and that JoAnn, the director of the Tarragon Theatre's Toronto production, "has brought out subtleties [in the female characters] that were hidden – too hidden."[8]
Ondaatje gave permission for the work to be the subject of a new adaptation by English theater director Dan Jemmett in 2007.[9] Originally produced in Pittsburgh, PA, by Quantum Theatre, the new vision was created by the company of five actors and Jemmett. The show was subsequently presented in Madrid, Spain, and Paris, France, at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in 2013.
Ondaatje agreed for the work to be adapted as a chamber opera by the English composer Gavin Bryars, with the libretto made by Jean Lacornerie, who staged the work. It was presented at the two co-commissioning theatres in Lyon, Le Théâtre de la Croix-Rouse and Le Théâtre de la Renaissance, in March 2018 and subsequently toured. The musical performance was directed by Gérard Lecointe, with the French pop singer Bertrand Belin as Billy the Kid and the soprano Claron MacFadden playing all female role.
The novel was also a source of inspiration for the 2012 album
References
- ^ a b Wagner, Vit (6 April 1990). "Ondaatje's Billy Rides Again". The Toronto Star.
- ^ a b Thompson, Bob (30 May 2007). "Michael Ondaatje, In Peak Form; Coming at a Story From Different Angles, the Author Constructs a Novel". The Washington Post.
- ^ Canada Council For The Arts. "The Governor General's Literary Awards: Past Winners 1970". Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ Roosevelt, Karyl (17 November 1977). "Original Fiction with Toxic Heroes". The New York Times Online. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ Adams, Phoebe (November 1974). "The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Book". The Atlantic Monthly. 234 (5): 124.
- ^ Rayner, Richard (24 May 2009). "Tricks With A Knife". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ a b Weeks, Jerome (January 1998). "Outlaw By Ondaatje". American Theatre. 15 (1): 12.
- ^ a b Wagner, Vic (6 April 1990). "Ondaatje's Billy Rides Again". The Toronto Star.
- ^ O'Driscoll, Bill (14 June 2007). "Dan Jemmett and Billy the Kid". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Oloizia, Jeff (4 October 2012). "Lord Huron is at Home on the Range". Interview Magazine.