The UNC Charlotte Department of Theatre and the Shakespeare in Action Center will present Andrew Hartley and David Hewson, co-authors of “Macbeth: A Novel,” in an evening of readings and conversation at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 2, in the Rowe Arts Building, Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
“Macbeth: A Novel” was released in summer 2011 as an audio book read by actor Alan Cumming and in print the following spring. It has been praised as “a fully realized novel, lush in tone and language, rich in imagery” and “an exceptional adaptation of a classic work of literature.”
Hartley, the Robinson Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare at UNC Charlotte, and Hewson developed the idea for the adaptation when they attended the International Thriller Writers Conference in New York (both are successful novelists in the mystery/thriller genre). Hartley calls the novel a contemporary thriller.
“David and I found a story of patriotism and duty, ambition, lust, fear and a maelstrom of human feeling as rich and savage as the landscape on which it takes place. It’s not a ‘translation’ of the play, but a reimagining of it, fully fleshed out and exploring all a modern novel can do that works less well on stage - landscape, large scale battles, etc., - tweaking the story so that it’s recognizable but still, we hope, fresh and edgy with plenty of surprises even for those who know the play well.”
The Nov. 2 event will include dramatic readings from the novel, a discussion of the collaborative adaptation process and a question-and-answer session. For more information, visit www.coaa.uncc.edu or call 704-687-1849.