Vernon God Little

Infobox Book |
name = Vernon God Little
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = DBC Pierre
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series =
genre = Black comedy
publisher = Faber and Faber
release_date = 20 January 2003
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 288 pp (hardcover edition)
288 pp (paperback edition)
isbn = ISBN 0-571-21515-7 (hardcover edition)
ISBN 0-571-21516-5(paperback edition)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Vernon God Little" is the Booker Prize winning debut novel of Australian-born author DBC Pierre, the pseudonym used by Peter Warren Finlay.

Plot introduction

The title character is a fifteen-year-old boy who lives in a small town in the U.S. state of Texas. When his friend Jesus Navarro commits suicide after killing sixteen bullying schoolmates, suspicion falls on Vernon, who becomes something of a scapegoat in his small hometown of Martirio. Fearing the death penalty, he goes on the run to Mexico.

Themes and style

The book satirizes trailer park residents, the media, and most of all, those who believe that life in the United States is just like what they see on the TV news. The Booker Prize judges described it as a "coruscating black comedy reflecting our alarm but also our fascination with America".cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3191160.stm | title=Author Pierre wins Booker prize | publisher=BBC | date=October 15, 2003]

The character of Vernon as a troubled teenager has drawn comparisons with the character Holden Caulfield in J. D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" novel.cite news | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CEEDB1430F93AA35752C1A9659C8B63 | title= Holden Caulfield on Ritalin | publisher=New York Times | date=November 9, 2003 | author=Sam Sifton]

The book is written in contemporary vernacular - with the use of foul satirical language and a witty irony. The town in which Vernon lives, Martirio, is the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese word for martyrdom. The origin of this word is the Greek "Martyrio".

Publication and distribution

Formerly a conman, Pierre wrote the novel in London as a means of atoning for his activities in his youth, which included conning an elderly artist out of his home.

The German translation of the book is titled "Jesus von Texas" (Jesus of Texas).cite news | url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA435701.html?pubdate=7%2F12%2F2004&display=archive | title=As American as... German Translations? | author=Steven Zeitchik | date=December 7, 2004 | work=Publishers Weekly | publisher=Reed Business Information]

Out of 4,000 Britons polled, 35% who started reading this book did not finish it. [cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6440981.stm | title=Harry Potter book 'often unread' | publisher=BBC | accessdate=2007-04-16]

Awards and nominations

Published in 2003, the novel was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction which included the £50,000 prize. Upon winning the prize, Pierre said that the money was "a third of what I owe in the world" and promptly used it to repay old debts.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

In 2005, "Variety" reported that Pawel Pawlikowski was working on producing a film adaptation of the book, with FilmFour Productions.cite news | url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=sundance2005&nav=directors&content=article&articleID=VR1117916485 | title=Pawel Pawlikowski | author=Adam Dawtrey | date=January 18, 2005 | work=Variety | publisher=Reed Business Information] Rufus Norris will direct a stage adaptation at the Young Vic theatre, opening May 2007 and starring newcomer Colin Morgan as Vernon. [http://www.youngvic.org/whats-on?action=details&id=1205]

ee also

*Columbine High School massacre

References

External links

* [http://books.guardian.co.uk/bookerprize2003/story/0,13819,1019831,00.html Review of Vernon God Little] at The Guardian