Girl from the North Country - by Conor McPherson (Paperback)

About the Book

A thrilling blend of McPherson's text and Dylan's iconic songs.

Book Synopsis

"The idea is inspired and the treatment piercingly beautiful . . . Two formidable artists have shown respect for the integrity of each other's work here and the result is magnificent." --Independent

"Bob Dylan's back catalogue is used to glorious effect in Conor McPherson's astonishing cross-section of hope and stoic suffering . . . It is the constant dialogue between the drama and the songs that makes this show exceptional." --Guardian

"Beguiling and soulful and quietly, exquisitely, heartbreaking. A very special piece of theatre." --Evening Standard

"A populous, otherworldly play that combines the hard grit of the Great Depression with something numinous and mysterious." --Telegraph

Duluth, Minnesota. 1934. A community living on a knife-edge. Lost and lonely people huddle together in the local guesthouse. The owner, Nick, owes more money than he can ever repay, his wife Elizabeth is losing her mind, and their daughter Marianne is carrying a child no one will account for. So when a preacher selling bibles and a boxer looking for a comeback turn up in the middle of the night, things spiral beyond the point of no return . . .

In Girl from the North Country, Conor McPherson beautifully weaves the iconic songbook of Bob Dylan into a show full of hope, heartbreak and soul. It premiered at the Old Vic, London, in July 2017, in a production directed by the author.

Conor McPherson is an award-winning Irish playwright. His best-known works include The Weir (Royal Court; winner of the 1999 Olivier Award for Best New Play), Dublin Carol (Atlantic Theater Company) and The Seafarer (National Theatre).

Bob Dylan, born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1941, is one of the most important songwriters of our time. Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. He released his thirty-ninth studio album, Triplicate, in April 2017, and continues to tour worldwide.

Review Quotes

"Beguiling and soulful and quietly, exquisitely, heartbreaking. This is, in short, a very special piece of theatre."-- Evening Standard-- "The Evening Standard"

"Bob Dylan's back catalog is used to glorious effect in Conor McPherson's astonishing cross-section of hope and stoic suffering... it is the constant dialogue between the drama and the songs that makes this show exceptional." -- Guardian-- "The Guardian"

"Extracts a certain Steinbeckian strand from Dylan's oeuvre... marries the myths of Dylan and the Depression into something timeless and elegant - a stark evocation of the American fundament." -- Time Out-- "Time Out London"

"The idea is inspired and the treatment piercingly beautiful... two formidable artists have shown respect for the integrity of each other's work here and the result is magnificent." -- Independent-- "The Independent"

"The play and songs weave around one another, reflecting, deepening, revealing, in exquisitely soulful harmony... shades of O'Neill and Steinbeck... dreamlike and bleakly beautiful." -- Broadway World-- "Broadway World"

About the Author

Conor McPherson is a playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays include: The Weir (Royal Court, London, Duke of York's, West End and Walter Kerr Theatre, New York; Laurence Olivier, Evening Standard, Critics' Circle, George Devine Awards); Dublin Carol (Royal Court and Atlantic Theater, New York); Port Authority (Ambassadors Theatre, West End, Gate Theatre, Dublin and Atlantic Theater, New York); Shining City (Royal Court, Gate Theatre, Dublin and Manhattan Theatre Club, New York; Tony Award nomination for Best Play); The Seafarer (National Theatre, London, Abbey Theatre, Dublin and Booth Theater, New York; Laurence Olivier, Evening Standard, Tony Award nominations for Best Play); The Night Alive (Donmar Warehouse, London and Atlantic Theater, New York); Girl from the North Country (Old Vic, London); and The Brightening Air (Old Vic, London, 2025). Theatre adaptations Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (West End, 2020) and Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War (Almeida Theatre, 2023), among others. His work for television and cinema includes the films I Went Down, Saltwater, Samuel Beckett's Endgame, The Actors, The Eclipse, and Strangers, as well as an adaptation of John Banville's Elegy for April for the BBC, and the original television drama Paula for BBC2.

Bob Dylan is an American songwriter, singer, artist, and writer. He has been influential in popular music and culture for more than six decades. Dylan has won many awards throughout his career including the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition, twelve Grammy Awards, one Academy Award, and one Golden Globe Award. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Songwriters Hall of Fame.