The Incomparable Atuk
Encyclopedia
The Incomparable Atuk is a satirical
novel
by Canadian
author Mordecai Richler
. It was first published in 1963 by McClelland and Stewart
. The novel was published as Stick Your Neck Out in the United States
.
The Incomparable Atuk, which some say is loosely modeled on Voltaire
's L'Ingénu
, tells the story of a Canadian Inuit
who is transplanted to Toronto
and who quickly adopts the greed and pretensions of the big city.
A film adaptation was in the works in the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, but never followed through. Most of the actors who were shown the script died before they could be cast. The movie, which would have been simply called Atuk
, is the subject of a Hollywood movie curse.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
author Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...
. It was first published in 1963 by McClelland and Stewart
McClelland and Stewart
McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is partially owned by Random House of Canada, now a subsidiary of Bertelsmann....
. The novel was published as Stick Your Neck Out in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Incomparable Atuk, which some say is loosely modeled on Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
's L'Ingénu
L'Ingénu
L'Ingénu is a satirical novella by the French writer Voltaire, published in 1767. It tells the story of a Huron man transported to Paris in 1690...
, tells the story of a Canadian Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
who is transplanted to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and who quickly adopts the greed and pretensions of the big city.
A film adaptation was in the works in the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, but never followed through. Most of the actors who were shown the script died before they could be cast. The movie, which would have been simply called Atuk
Atuk
thumb|Mordecai Richler's [[The Incomparable Atuk]] on which the script is based on.Atuk is the name of an as-yet-unfilmed American film screenplay, intended to be a film adaptation based upon the 1963 novel The Incomparable Atuk by acclaimed Canadian author Mordecai Richler...
, is the subject of a Hollywood movie curse.