The Human Comedy (novel)

This article is about the novel by William Saroyan. For the 1943 film, see The Human Comedy (film). For the 1983 musical, see The Human Comedy (musical). For the 2016 film based on the novel, see Ithaca (film).
The Human Comedy
First edition cover
AuthorWilliam Saroyan
IllustratorDon Freeman
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarcourt
Publication date
February 4, 1943
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)

The Human Comedy is a 1943 novel by William Saroyan. It originated as a 240-page film script written for MGM. Saroyan was planning to produce and direct the film, but he was dropped from the project either because the script was too long or because a short film he directed as a test was not considered acceptable – or both.[1] He walked off the lot, went home, and swiftly created a novelization, which was published just before the film came out. It was the March 1943 Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and became a best-seller a week after its release. Saroyan won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film, The Human Comedy.

  1. ^ "The Human Comedy (1943) - Notes - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved June 3, 2020.