'I promise you more patience, more gratitude. I promise you less vanity, less selfishness, less complaining, less fear. I promise you. You just have to survive.'

A Little Life follows the complex relationships of four college friends in New York City: Willem, an actor; Malcolm, an architect; JB, an artist; and, at the centre of their group, Jude, a lawyer.

Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, changed by ambition, addiction and pride. Yet their greatest challenge is Jude himself, whose secrets - and shame - define not just his own life, but that of his friends as well.

A bruising and beautiful story of love, the limits of human endurance, and the tyranny of memory, Hanya Yanagihara's novel A Little Life has sold over a million copies and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Women's Prize for Fiction.

The stage adaptation - conceived by Ivo van Hove, and adapted by Koen Tachelet, van Hove and Yanagihara herself - was first performed in a Dutch-language production at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2018, before transferring to New York in 2022. This English-language version opened in London's West End in 2023, directed by Ivo van Hove and with a cast led by James Norton as Jude.

About the Author
Hanya Yanagihara is an American novelist, editor, and travel writer. Her books include the bestselling novel A Little Life (2015), which was shortlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize. Koen Tachelet is a dramaturg and writer who has worked internationally, notably with Ivo van Hove. Ivo van Hove is an award-winning theatre director who has served as the General Director of the prestigious Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (formerly Toneelgroep Amsterdam) since 2001. His acclaimed productions, including A View From the Bridge, Network and All About Eve, have earned him many international accolades, including a Tony Award, an Olivier Award and two Obie Awards. Hanya Yanagihara is an American novelist, editor, and travel writer. Her books include the bestselling novel A Little Life (2015), which was shortlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize.

Reviews

'A masterpiece of modern theatre... a triumph of emotional richness and devastation'

* Telegraph *

'Utterly compelling'

* Daily Express *

'A superb piece of theatre, staged with consummate skill'

* Evening Standard *

'Close to Greek tragedy... a production of cool temperature, handling atrocity with clinical precision, and moments of grace with an economical elegance... leaves its mark like a livid, tender bruise on the imagination'

* The Stage *

'Unrelenting but magnificent... in the interstices of horror and abuse, there are transcendental moments of love and affection'

* iNews *

'Keeps a grip so tight that it is impossible to turn away'

* WhatsOnStage *

'Compelling viewing... such an emotional and affecting piece of theatre'

* Gay Times *

'Sophisticated and searing... an almost anthropological study of pain, staged with the utmost intelligence'

* Guardian *

'A deftly crafted adaptation, beautifully staged'

* Time Out *



Book Information
ISBN 9781839042300
Author Hanya Yanagihara
Format Paperback
Page Count 120
Imprint Nick Hern Books
Publisher Nick Hern Books
Weight(grams) 183g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 8mm