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Tom Topor

トム・トポール

Tom Topor

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1938-01-01 （Vienna, Austria）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Vienna, Austria → London, United Kingdom → New York City, United States

Career

Occupations
playwright, screenwriter, novelist, journalist
Active Years
1969-

Education

Brooklyn College
Degree: 学士（Bachelor's degree）
Period: 1957–1961 (推定)
Year of Graduation: 1961
Country: United States

Awards

Writers Guild of America Award
1991
Work: Judgment (TV film)
Category: 脚本
Organization: Writers Guild of America
Result: 受賞
Dilys Award
1996
Work: The Codicil
Category: 長編小説
Organization: Independent Mystery Booksellers Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Nuts (play)

1979 play / theatre

A courtroom/psychological play centered on a woman undergoing psychiatric evaluation to determine her competence; it explores domestic abuse, sexual trauma, and issues of responsibility and the legal system.

courtroom dramapsychological dramasexual abusepsychiatric evaluationjustice and responsibility
Adaptations
  • [film] Nuts (1987 film) / Martin Ritt (1987)

The Accused (screenplay)

1988 film / courtroom drama

Screenplay for a film about a sexual assault case and the ensuing legal battle; through the victim's ordeal and the justice system's response, it interrogates social justice and prejudice.

sexual assaultlaw and justicesocial issuesvictim perspective

Judgment (TV film)

1990 TV film / courtroom drama

A TV movie written and directed by Topor; a socially conscious courtroom drama addressing individual responsibility and institutional issues.

courtroom dramasocial issuesethics and responsibility

The Codicil

1996 novel / mystery

A mystery novel revolving around legal and familial secrets; conspiracies and relationships tied to a will's codicil form the core of the narrative.

mysterylaw and inheritancefamily secrets

Tightrope Minor

novel / fiction

A work of fiction dealing with crime and psychological conflict, focusing on characters' inner lives and social context.

crimepsychological portraitsocial issues

Bloodstar

novel

A novel themed around crime and violence. Specific publication details are not available.

crimeviolence

Other plays (Answers; Romance: Here to Stay; But Not for Me; Coda; Up the Hill; The Playpen)

plays

A collection of one-act plays and stage works; these pieces commonly address social and psychological themes.

psychological dramasocial issueshuman relationships
Translations
  • The play 'Coda' has appeared in French as 'L'Orchestre des ombres' in some productions/publications.

Bibliography

  • Nuts (play)
  • Nuts (1987 film - screenplay)
  • The Accused (1988 film - screenplay)
  • Judgment (1990 TV film - writer/director)
  • The Codicil (novel)
  • Tightrope Minor (novel)
  • Bloodstar (novel)
  • Answers; Romance: Here to Stay; But Not for Me; Coda; Up the Hill; The Playpen (plays)

Adaptations

  • Nuts → 1987 film (starring Barbra Streisand)
  • The Accused → 1988 film (screenplay)
  • Judgment → 1990 TV movie (writer/director)

Translations of Works

  • Coda — French title 'L'Orchestre des ombres'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
realistic, detailed depictions of courtroom and on-site scenesdirect prose emphasizing psychological characterizationdocudrama elements addressing social issues
Recurring Motifs
courtroomspsychiatric evaluation and mental healthsexual abuse and victims' psychologymedia and public scrutiny

Legacy

Tom Topor is known as a playwright, screenwriter and novelist specializing in courtroom and psychological drama. Working across stage, film and television, with works like 'Nuts' and 'The Accused', he brought social issues and victims' perspectives to the fore and influenced American courtroom drama and socially conscious fiction.

In Popular Culture

  • The film adaptation of 'Nuts' (1987) is widely known as a starring vehicle for Barbra Streisand.
  • 'The Accused' (1988) is remembered as a courtroom drama told from the victim's perspective.

Trivia

  • Born in Vienna in 1938; moved to London in 1939 and to New York in 1949.
  • Earned a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in 1961.
  • Before his literary career he worked as a reporter for the New York Post, covering police stations, courts, hospitals and psychiatric wards.
  • His play 'Nuts' ran on Broadway and was adapted into a 1987 film; Topor adapted his play for the screenplay.
  • Won a Writers Guild of America Award for the TV film 'Judgment' (1990).
  • Won the Dilys Award in 1996 for the novel 'The Codicil'.