Katherine Anne Porter
two. Raised primarily by her paternal grandmother, Porter became strong and self-reliant
at an early age. Both the loss of her mother and her father’s subsequent neglect had a
lasting effect on Porter—making her incredibly attentive to the harsh realities of the
human endeavor.
entire life she would continue to have passionate affairs marked by dramatic and vicious
break-ups. She spent her early twenties moving from Texas to Chicago and back, working
as an actress, a singer, and, later, a secretary. In 1917, after a battle with tuberculosis,
Porter took a job as a society columnist for the Fort Worth CRITIC. Two years later she
moved to Greenwich Village, where she began to work seriously as a fiction writer.
Porter published her first story in CENTURY magazine.
Though CENTURY provided her with a good sum for the
story, Porter was rarely to return to popular magazine
publishing, choosing instead the freedom of little
magazines. A perfectionist concerned with controlling
every word of her stories, Porter gained a name for her
flawless prose. Often concerned with the themes of justice,
betrayal, and the unforgiving nature of the human race,
Porter's’s writings occupied the space where the personal
and political meet.
Katherine Anne Porter was known for her penetrating insight; her work dealt with dark
themes such as betrayal, death and the origin of human evil.
Between 1948 and 1958, Porter taught at Stanford University, the
University of Michigan and the University of Texas, where her
unconventional manner of teaching made her popular with
students. In 1962, she published her only novel, Ship of Fools,
which was the best-selling novel in America for that year; its
success finally gave her financial security.
Despite Porter's claim that after the publication of Ship of Fools
she would not win any more prizes in America, in 1966 she was
awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The
Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter, and that year was also
appointed to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
She died in Silver Spring, Maryland on September 18, 1980, at the age of 90, and her ashes
were buried next to her mother at Indian Creek Cemetery in Texas. Outliving most of her
contemporaries, the strong-willed Porter left behind an insightful body of work. Her
flawless pen and harsh criticism of not only her times, but of human society, made Porter
a major voice in twentieth century American literature.
SHIP OF FOOLS (1962), was Porter’s first and only novel. Dealing
with the lives of a group of various and international travelers,
the book became an instant success. Based partially on a trip to
Germany thirty years earlier, SHIP OF FOOLS, attacked the weakness
of a society that could allow for the Second World War.
The story takes place in the summer of 1931, on board a cruise ship
bound for Bremerhaven, Germany. The passenger list is long and
portentous, and includes a Spanish noblewoman, a drunken German lawyer, an American
divorcee, a pair of Mexican Catholic priests, and a host of others. This ship of fools is a
crucible of intense experience, out of which everyone emerges forever changed. Rich in
incident, passion, and treachery, the novel explores themes of nationalism, cultural and
ethnic pride, and basic human frailty that are as relevant now as they were when the
novel first appeared in 1962.
Gary F. Taylor - Amazon reviews
Less a plot-driven novel than a closely observed portrait, Porter's famous novel deftly
exploits the author's ability to focus on the telling details of personality--and the result is a
sometimes funny, often touching, and ultimately stinging examination of the insularity,
hypocrisies, and pretensions of shipboard passengers en route from Mexico to Germany
on the eve of World War II.
Porter's cast of characters are primarily German, but a handful of Spanish, Mexican,
Swiss, and American characters give the novel an international perspective. Whatever
their individual backgrounds, the characters tend to adopt reactionary postures toward
and make assumptions about their fellow travelers based on both class and nationality;
consequently, they tend to regard each other in a stereotypical light--but even as they fail
to understand the truths behind the stereotypes, Porter highlights their lack of
comprehension in a frequently comic but extremely disconcerting manner, thus
demonstrating that her characters are at sea in more ways than one.
The Film
Ship of Fools is a 1965 film which tells the overlapping stories of
several passengers aboard an ocean liner during the 1930s. It stars
Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, José Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner,
Michael Dunn, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, José Greco and Heinz
Rühmann.
The movie was adapted by Abby Mann from the novel of the same name by Katherine
Anne Porter. It was directed by Stanley Kramer. It was to be Vivien Leigh's last film.
It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White and Best
Cinematography, Black-and-White. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role
(Oskar Werner), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael Dunn), Best Actress in a Leading
Role (Simone Signoret), Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Picture and Best
Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Vivien Leigh was awarded
the French equivalent of the Oscar for her role.
From www.Wikipedia.com, the free encyclopedia
A vacationing American couple (Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal), and a group of
money-minded flamenco dancers (led by Barbara Luna) are also on board. The story is
dark and disturbing as we slowly become overwhelmed by the lives of the characters,
who create a cross-section of Germany's citizens (and the political climate which helped
give rise to the Third Reich).
characters are totally unaware that as their boat sails closer into Germany, they will
ultimately enter a storm from which many will never return. That inner-storm is most
evident in the monstrous character of Rieber, and Jose Ferrer plays the role with a
megalomaniacal fervor which is frightening to witness.
almost Chaplinesque fragility. The scene where she breaks into a frenzied Charleston
was a throwback to her showstopping turn in the Broadway musical "Tovarich"; she's
simply magical to watch in this movie, and although she's billed first in the credits, by no
means is she the "star" of this ensemble piece.
Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner provide the wounded center of the film, with the
thwarted affair between "La Contessa" and the ship's Doctor, plagued with heart trouble.
Michael Dunn is completely charming as Carl, a dwarf who acts as the audience's guide
into the story. Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal are memorable too, playing a couple
who clearly aren't meant to be together, but remain so out of a mutual need and pity.
There are so many great characters to like (and hate) in SHIP OF FOOLS that you'll find
your own favourites.
I was greatly-impressed by SHIP OF FOOLS. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).
The Film Ship Of Fools
Haunting character study of pre-war Germany, December 19, 2007
By Byron Kolln "Classic_MovieGuy"
money-minded flamenco dancers (led by Barbara Luna) are also on board. The story is
dark and disturbing as we slowly become overwhelmed by the lives of the characters,
who create a cross-section of Germany's citizens (and the political climate which helped
give rise to the Third Reich).
characters are totally unaware that as their boat sails closer into Germany, they will
ultimately enter a storm from which many will never return. That inner-storm is most
evident in the monstrous character of Rieber, and Jose Ferrer plays the role with a
megalomaniacal fervor which is frightening to witness.
almost Chaplinesque fragility. The scene where she breaks into a frenzied Charleston
was a throwback to her showstopping turn in the Broadway musical "Tovarich"; she's
simply magical to watch in this movie, and although she's billed first in the credits, by no
means is she the "star" of this ensemble piece.
Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner provide the wounded center of the film, with the
thwarted affair between "La Contessa" and the ship's Doctor, plagued with heart trouble.
Michael Dunn is completely charming as Carl, a dwarf who acts as the audience's guide
into the story. Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal are memorable too, playing a couple
who clearly aren't meant to be together, but remain so out of a mutual need and pity.
There are so many great characters to like (and hate) in SHIP OF FOOLS that you'll find
your own favourites.
I was greatly-impressed by SHIP OF FOOLS. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).
The Film Ship Of Fools
Haunting character study of pre-war Germany, December 19, 2007
By Byron Kolln "Classic_MovieGuy"
In 1930 her first book, FLOWERING JUDAS was published
by Harcourt Brace. Though a masterly collection of short
stories, it met with only modest sales. It was not until
almost ten years later that she published her second
book, a collection of three short novels, PALE HORSE,
PALE RIDER. She followed this in 1944 with THE LEANING
TOWER AND OTHER STORIES. Concerning herself overtly
with the rise of Nazism, Porter was able to further
investigate the dark side of the average person. It was
not, however, until nearly twenty years later that she was
able to address the topic in greater depth.
by Harcourt Brace. Though a masterly collection of short
stories, it met with only modest sales. It was not until
almost ten years later that she published her second
book, a collection of three short novels, PALE HORSE,
PALE RIDER. She followed this in 1944 with THE LEANING
TOWER AND OTHER STORIES. Concerning herself overtly
with the rise of Nazism, Porter was able to further
investigate the dark side of the average person. It was
not, however, until nearly twenty years later that she was
able to address the topic in greater depth.
When Katherine Anne Porter left her home state of
Texas for New York, she brought with her the hard
edge of a Western pioneer. Passionate and
intelligent, it was this edge more than anything that
made her name as a writer. Despite her self-imposed
exile from her home and Southern background,
Porter used this distance as a means of coming to
terms with the memories she sought to escape.
Texas for New York, she brought with her the hard
edge of a Western pioneer. Passionate and
intelligent, it was this edge more than anything that
made her name as a writer. Despite her self-imposed
exile from her home and Southern background,
Porter used this distance as a means of coming to
terms with the memories she sought to escape.
Based on the book by Katherine Anne Porter, SHIP OF FOOLS
features Vivien Leigh in her final movie role, plus a star-
studded international cast.
Mexico to Germany, presents a haunting allegory of the
impending Holocaust.
On a ship bound for the port of Bremerhaven in Germany, we
meet a colourful selection of passengers. Among them,
disenchanted divorcee Mary Treadwell (Vivien Leigh); "La
Contessa" (Simone Signoret), a drug-addicted political
prisoner; and anti-semite Herr Rieber (Jose Ferrer).
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