简介：In1919,HartCranesaidofSherwoodAnderson’sWinesburg,Ohio:‘Americashouldreadthisbookonherknees.ItisanimportantchapterintheBibleofherconsciousness.’ Anderson’smodularnovel--acollectionofinterconnectedshortstories--remainsoneofthehighestregardedworksofAmericanliteraturetothisday,yethasprovedresistanttoadaptationasamainstreamHollywoodfeature.ThatresistancecontinuesinTheLastSoulonaSummerNight(previouslyknownasChicagoHeights),astarklyblackandwhite,experimental,non-linearinterpretationoftheantiquenarrative.Thefilmtakestheoriginallyall-white,century-oldruralstoriesandtellsthemwithapredominantlyAfricanAmericancastincontemporarysouthChicago,celebratingtheuniversalpowerofthesourcewhileplayingonitsanachronisms. TheLastSoulonaSummerNightisaseriesofinter-relatedvignettesthatplayoutintheimaginationofanelderlywriterashestaresattheceilinglightinhisbedroom.Hesensesthatheisneardeath,andhismindhasfractured.Hedoesnotknowifthepeopleheimaginesarehiscreations,hismemories,orhisdreams,thoughwecannothelpbutsensethattheyareabstractedreflectionsonhiscomingofageandhisrelationshipwithhismother,whodiedwhenhewasyoung.Healsoreimaginesthelivesofothershemayoncehaveknown,likethecommunitypastor,afavoriteteacher,andthetherapistwhotreatedhismother.Inhismind,theyareall“grotesque.”Theyhaveanarchetypalmeaningtohim,andallseemtomanifestaspectsofastruggleforidentitythatmayhavekepthimalonethroughouthislife.…