''Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula'' is a 1990 novel by Barry Gifford.

Critical reception

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'' wrote: "In the visual equivalent of sound bites, novelist and poet Gifford ... cuts to the heart with sharply focused shots of young lovers on the lam." ''

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'' wrote that "Gifford's South is ersatz, tarred up with Forget-Me-Not Cafes and Dixie beer, his Romeo and Juliet more treacly than tragic."

Series

''Wild at Heart'' begins the adventures of two sex-driven, star-crossed protagonists, Sailor and Lula, on the road in the American South. It is followed by: *''Sailor's Holiday: The Wild Life of Sailor and Lula'' *''59° and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango'' *''Sultans of Africa'' *''Consuelo's Kiss'' *''Bad Day for the Leopard Man'' *''Imagination of the Heart''

Film

The novel was adapted to the film '' Wild At Heart'' (1990) written and directed by

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

and starring

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born ...

and

Willem Dafoe William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...

. The adaptation won the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

, the highest honor at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. The success of the film boosted interest in Gifford's novels.

References

1990 American novels American novels adapted into films Black comedy books {{1990s-mystery-novel-stub