100 things challenge - 50: Most adapted authors
Well, the poll I posted in my previous '100 things challenge' post, asking you what topic you'd like for this 50th post, was answered most often with Literature/Adaptation. So I hope you enjoy today's information!
Which author is the most adapted? That question is not as easy as it seems. How many books has an author written for example. How does an author of only one novel which has been adapted multiple times compare to an author of dozens of books of which 5 have been adapted? For this list, the number of movies listed behind an authors name on IMDB.com was counted. This includes both large and small screen adaptations and in some cases even games!
Shakespeare tops the list with over 800 adaptations! Second is surprisingly the Russian 19th century novelist Anton Chekhov with just over 350 listings. Charles Dickens comes in a the third place, about 330 movies and tv series were made of his work. Over 20 of these adaptations were inspired by A Christmas Carol. Alexandre Dumas and Edgar Allan Poe close the top 5 of most adapted authors. Other well-known names found in the top-25 are Oscar Wilde, Leo Tolstoy and Stephen King. Only one woman can be found in the top-25, Agatha Christie with 126 listings. Our dear Jane Austen has 'only' 54 adaptations and therefore does not feature in this elusive list.... (Tssk, I just saw that The Lizzie Bennet Diaries are not listed on IMDB, so Jane should have at least one more!)
Which author is the most adapted? That question is not as easy as it seems. How many books has an author written for example. How does an author of only one novel which has been adapted multiple times compare to an author of dozens of books of which 5 have been adapted? For this list, the number of movies listed behind an authors name on IMDB.com was counted. This includes both large and small screen adaptations and in some cases even games!
Shakespeare tops the list with over 800 adaptations! Second is surprisingly the Russian 19th century novelist Anton Chekhov with just over 350 listings. Charles Dickens comes in a the third place, about 330 movies and tv series were made of his work. Over 20 of these adaptations were inspired by A Christmas Carol. Alexandre Dumas and Edgar Allan Poe close the top 5 of most adapted authors. Other well-known names found in the top-25 are Oscar Wilde, Leo Tolstoy and Stephen King. Only one woman can be found in the top-25, Agatha Christie with 126 listings. Our dear Jane Austen has 'only' 54 adaptations and therefore does not feature in this elusive list.... (Tssk, I just saw that The Lizzie Bennet Diaries are not listed on IMDB, so Jane should have at least one more!)