Birdy

by

Hardcover

English, Danish language

Published Dec. 27, 1978 by Alfred A. Knopf.

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5 stars (1 review)

Birdy is the debut novel of William Wharton, who was more than 50 years old when it was published. It won the U.S. National Book Award in category First Novel. Birdy was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1980, ultimately losing to The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer. Birdy was adapted as a film of the same name, directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. The novel has said to have been a lyrical influence on the song "The King of Birds" by American alternative rock band R.E.M. Naomi Wallace, a poet and playwright, adapted Birdy for the stage in 1997.

1 edition

reviewed Birdy by William Wharton

Friendship and birdkind.

5 stars

A young man visits his childhood friend in a mental asylum to try to convince him he's not actually a bird. Loyalty, isolation, the Vietnam war, bird erotica... You'd never believe they could all blend together so beautifully, and yet. Not a well-known book, but almost won the Pulitzer, and with good reason. Well-written and intriguing. (The film features Nicholas Cage in an early role. It was a sign of things to come.)