Plan américain
New York in the 1970s. The city is dirty, the buildings dilapidated, and walking around after dark an adventure. But it’s bursting with an astonishing level of creativity. Punk and hip-hop musicians, a new generation of painters, graffiti artists and photographers are all breaking new ground. Art house cinemas abound, films with predominantly Black casts are experiencing a golden age, and all of it heralds a glorious future.
This is where Paul Schwartzman (alias Pablo), middleclass son of a Jewish button merchant, dreams of launching his career as a filmmaker. And where Jay Gladstone, scion of a New York real estate family (and the protagonist of Greenland’s novel The Hazards of Good Fortune), aspires to produce his first feature film. Playing the female lead will be, Avery Rogers, a Black, Juilliard-trained actress, who aims to toggle between Shakespeare in the Park and movie stardom.
Driven by the enthusiasm of youth, their project is as ambitious as it is outrageous. A funny and nostalgic novel which pays homage to a city, an era, and lost illusions.
“Lively, funny, tender.”
“Greenland’s acid and subtle pen works wonders: each page conceals an image, an expression, a nuance that makes you want to applaud.”