Ship of Fools

Katherine Anne Porter 1890-1980 – an American writer, journalist, social activist, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner. The life of the writer resembles a thriller novel. After breaking the bonds of marriage with her tyrannical husband, Katherine tries her hand as a provincial actress, works as a journalist – she runs a theater critique and social chronicles column in a small newspaper, appearing in both Denver and New York, works as a literary ghostwriter, and writes stories for children. In Mexico, she meets leftist movement activists and becomes a vocal critic of Catholicism. She teaches at Stanford, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas. The novel Ship of Fools, published in 1962, brings her nationwide fame, solidified by Stanley Kramer's 1965 film adaptation. The Oscar-winning film features first-rate stars – Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Lee Marvin. The passengers of the giant liner Vera cross the ocean, heading to Europe. The journey from past to future seems to them a successful chance to leave all bad behind, to solve all problems as if by the wave of a magic wand. People fall in love, quarrel, philosophize, and make life plans. However, not all passengers of this miracle ship are awaited on the other shore by fortune and happiness…