Nathanael West bibliography

This is a bibliography of works by Nathanael West

Novels

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The Dream Life of Balso Snell, 1931
Title Publisher Included in
The Dream Life of Balso Snell Contact Editions, 1931 The Complete works of Nathanael West,1957.
Novels and other Writings, 1997
Miss Lonelyhearts Liveright, 1933 The Complete works of Nathanael West,1957.
Novels and other Writings, 1997
A Cool Million Covici Friede, 1934 The Complete works of Nathanael West,1957.
Novels and other Writings, 1997
The Day of the Locust Random House, 1939 The Complete works of Nathanael West,1957.
Novels and other Writings, 1997

Short stories and novel excerpts

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Title First Published in Notes
"A Barefaced Lie" Overland Monthly, 1929
"Miss Lonelyhearts and the Lamb" Contact, February 1932 Excerpt from Miss Lonelyhearts
"Miss Lonelyhearts and the Dead Pan" Contact, May 1932 Excerpt from Miss Lonelyhearts
"Miss Lonelyhearts and the Clean Old Man" Contact, May 1932 Excerpt from Miss Lonelyhearts
"Miss Lonelyhearts in the Dismal Swamp" Contempo, July 1932 Excerpt from Miss Lonelyhearts
"Miss Lonelyhearts on a Field Trip" Contact, October 1932 Excerpt from Miss Lonelyhearts
"The Dear Public" Americana, August 1933 Excerpt from The Dream Life of Balso Snell
Unnamed excerpt Americana, September 1933 Excerpt from The Dream Life of Balso Snell
"Business Deal" Americana, October 1933 Collected in Novels and other Writings, 1997
"Bird and Bottle" Pacific Weekly, November 1936 Early section of The Day of the Locust; collected in
Nathanael West: A Collection of Critical Essays
"The Imposter" The New Yorker, June 2, 1997 Originally titled "The Fake", then retitled "L'Affaire Beano";
collected in Novels and other Writings, 1997
"Western Union Boy" Collected in Novels and other Writings, 1997
"Mr. Potts of Pottstown" Incomplete;
collected in Novels and other Writings, 1997
"The Adventurer" Incomplete;
collected in Novels and other Writings, 1997
"Three Eskimos" Used in The Day of the Locust;
collected in Novels and other Writings, 1997
"Tibetan Night" Collected in Novels and other Writings, 1997
"The Sun, the Lady, and the Gas Station"

Plays

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Title Year in Collaboration with First performance Published in
Even Stephen 1934 S. J. Perelman never performed never published
Good Hunting 1938 Joseph Schrank November 21, 1938, New York Novels and other Writings, 1997

Poetry

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Title First published in Notes
"Rondeau" The Brown Jug, 2, December 1922
"Death" Casements, May 1924 Signed N. von Wallenstein-Weinstein
Christmass Poem Contempo, February 1933 Early version of "Burn the Cities"
"Burn the Cities" Included in Novels and other Writings, 1997

Essays and reviews

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Title Publication details Included in:
Euripides—A Playwright Casements, July 1923 Novels and other Writings
Book Marks for Today World Telegram, October 1931
Through the Hole in the Mundane Millstone A leaflet by Contact Editions printed in 1931
to promote The Dream Life of Balso Snell
Novels and other Writings;
Nathanael West: A Collection
of Critical Essays
Some Notes on Violence Contact, October 1932 Novels and other Writings;
Nathanael West: A Collection
of Critical Essays
Some Notes on Miss L. Contempo, May 1933 Novels and other Writings;
Nathanael West: A Collection
of Critical Essays
Soft Soap for the Barber The New Republic, November 1934 Novels and other Writings

Film writing

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(in collaboration with others, unless noted otherwise)

Title year Studio Format Notes
Beauty Parlor Written 1933 Columbia Screenplay Never produced
Return to the Soil Written 1933 Columbia Screenplay Never produced
Osceola Written 1935 Treatment Never produced
Ticket to Paradise 1936 Republic Productions Treatment and screenplay
Follow Your Heart 1936 Republic Productions Screenplay
The President's Mystery 1936 Republic Productions Screenplay
Rhythm in the Clouds 1937 Republic Productions Screenplay
It Could Happen to You 1937 Republic Productions Screenplay
Jim Hanvey – Detective 1937 Republic Productions Screenplay Uncredited
Born to Be Wild 1938 Republic Productions Screenplay
Gangs of New York 1938 Republic Productions Screenplay Uncredited
Ladies in Distress 1938 Republic Productions Screenplay Uncredited
Bachelor Girl written 1937 Republic Productions Screenplay Never produced
Orphans of the Street 1938 Republic Productions Treatment and screenplay Uncredited
Stormy Weather Written 1937-8 Republic Productions Treatment and partial screenplay Never Produced
The Squealer 1938 Columbia Screenplay Unfinished
Flight South Written 1938 MGM Treatment Never produced
The Spirit of Culver 1939 Universal Studios Screenplay
Five Came Back 1939 RKO Pictures Screenplay
I Stole a Million 1939 Universal Studios Screenplay Solo screenwriting credit
The Victoria Docks at Eight Written 1939 Universal Studios Screenplay Never filmed
Stranger on the Third Floor 1940 RKO Pictures Screenplay Uncredited
Men Against the Sky 1940 RKO Pictures Screenplay Solo screenwriting credit
Let's Make Music 1941 RKO Pictures Screenplay Solo screenwriting credit
Before the Fact Written 1939 RKO Pictures Screenplay Never filmed
A Cool Million Written 1940 Columbia Screen story Never produced
Bird in Hand Written 1940 RKO Pictures Treatment
Amateur Angel Written 1940 Columbia Screenplay worked on until his death

Collections

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Title Year Publisher Notes
The Complete Works of Nathanael West 1957 Farrar Straus and Company Reprinted in 1963, 1975;
includes the four novels
A Cool Million &
The Dream Life of Balso Snell
1961 Farrar Straus and Company
Miss Lonelyhearts &
The Day of the Locust
1969 New Directions
Nathanael West: A Collection
of Critical Essays
1971 Prentice Hall
(20th century Views series)
Includes three essays and one story by West
in addition to critical writings about him.
Novels and other Writings 1997 Library of America Includes novels, short stories,
essays, and a selection of letters

Books about Nathanael West

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Title Writer Year Genre
Nathanael West Stanley Edgar Hyman 1962 Critical Study
Nathanael West, the Ironic Prophet Victor Comerchero 1964 Critical Study
The Fiction of Nathanael West, No Redeemer, No Promised land Randall Reid 1967 Critical Study
Nathanael West: The Art of His Life Jay Martin 1971 Biography
Nathanael West: An Interpretative Study[1] James F. Light 1971 Critical Study
Nathanael West Robert Emmet Long 1985 Critical Study
Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney Marion Meade 2010 Biography of West and his wife

Adaptations of Nathanael West's work

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Title Adaptation of Year Format
Advice to the Lovelorn Miss Lonelyhearts 1933 Feature Film
I'll Tell the World Miss Lonelyhearts 1945 Feature Film
Miss Lonelyhearts Miss Lonelyhearts 1957 Play
Lonelyhearts Miss Lonelyhearts 1958 Feature Film
Miss Lonelyhearts Miss Lonelyhearts 1983 TV film
The Day of the Locust The Day of the Locust 1975 Feature Film
Miss Lonelyhearts Miss Lonelyhearts 2006 Opera

References

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  • Bercovitch, Sacvan, ed. Nathanael West, Novels and Other Writings (Library of America, 1997) ISBN 978-1-883011-28-4
  • Martin, Jay, Nathanael West: The Art of His Life (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1970)