Synopses & Reviews
Jerome Charyn is known for his paeans to the workingman. Here is another work in that tradition, about a simple prop manager who finds himself unexpectedlyand literallypushed into the spotlight, and a player in world history. When Ivan Azerbaijan, known as Ivanushka, first set out for Moscow, he hoped for nothing more than to build sets for his mentor's production of King Lear. But when the lead falls suddenly ill, Ivanushka steps in and finds his performance the talk of Moscow. He falls under the scrutiny of Joseph Stalin, who allows starlet Valentina Michaelson to join the cast as Cordelia. Ivanushka is thrust headlong into the world of intrigue, terror, and distrust that was Stalin's Soviet Union. Charyn depicts both the romance between Valentina and Ivan and the chaos of life under Stalin's watchful eyes with similar style, making the fear and confusion palpable in this audacious winter's tale. The Green Lantern is an exploration of Shakespeare, the Soviet Union, and what it is to "perform," by one of the great American writers.
About the Author
Jerome Charyn was born in the Bronx in 1937. He is one of the five finalists for the 2005 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (for The Green Lantern) and is the author of more than thirty books, including Gangsters & Gold Diggers, The Isaac Quartet, and Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins. He divides his time between New York and Paris.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Jerome Charyn