Mermaids (novel)
Mermaids is a 1986 coming-of-age novel by American writer Patty Dann, published in 1986 by Ticknor and Fields.[2] Its plot follows a 15-year-old teenage girl growing up with a wayward single mother in 1960s New England. It was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 1990, starring Cher and Winona Ryder.[3]
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Patty Dann |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Bildungsroman |
| Publisher | Ticknor and Fields |
Publication date | September 1, 1986[1] |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 147 |
| ISBN | 978-0-899-19471-4 |
Background
Dann, a graduate of the University of Oregon and Columbia University, was working as a secretary in 1984, having abandoned her career aspiration of becoming a writer.[2] In 1986, while working as a secretary for A&E, she began revising Mermaids, a period piece coming-of-age novel about a teenage girl set in the 1960s, a draft of which she had submitted as her MFA thesis.[2] During the redrafting process, she changed the narrative perspective from third-person to first-person.[2] After completing the redrafting of the novel, Dann found a literary agent who sold the novel to Ticknor and Fields, who published it in 1986.[2]
Adaptation
In 1990, Richard Benjamin directed a critically acclaimed feature film adaptation of the novel, starring Cher and Winona Ryder.[3]
References
- "Mermaids (1986)". Amazon. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020.
- Alger, Derek (October 2013). "Patty Dann Interview". PIF Magazine. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020.
- "Dann, Patty (1953–)". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020.