The Ugliest Pilgrim
The Ugliest Pilgrim is a southern gothic short story by American writer Doris Betts. It was first published in the Red Clay Reader, an annual magazine focusing on the work of southern authors and artists.[1]
"The Ugliest Pilgrim" | |
---|---|
Author | Doris Betts |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Published in | Red Clay Reader |
Media type | Short Story |
Publication date | 1969 |
Plot synopsis
The story follows Violet Karl a disfigured woman in her late twenties who travels by bus from her home in Spruce Pine, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma in the hopes of being healed by a televangelist.
Adaptations
The first adaption of "The Ugliest Pilgrim" was a 1981 film titled Violet. The short film was directed by Shelley Levinson and starring Didi Conn. It won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film in 1982. [2]
A musical adaption "The Ugliest Pilgrim" also titled Violet was made. With music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Brian Crawley. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 1997 and won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award as Best Musical.[3]
References
- Thomas, Helen (March 6, 2014). "Doris Betts, a Greyhound Bus, and an Academy Award". Southern Sources. UNC Chapel Hill Library.
- Levinson, Shelley, Violet (Short), Didi Conn, Patrick Dollaghan, Rodney Saulsberry, Thomas McGowan, American Film Institute (AFI), The Center for Advanced Film Studies, retrieved 2021-01-13
- "Violet". Music Theatre International. 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2021-01-13.